European expert warns against false sense of normalcy in returning to everyday life

A European expert on the new coronavirus has warned that people must not be lulled into thinking their lives may soon return to normal as the spread of the disease drops and some citizens return to work.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Director Andrea Ammon told EU lawmakers Monday that this is not going to end any time soon and people need to prepare mentally for it.

Ammon said the number of new positive cases is declining across Europe, and only Bulgaria has cases on the rise. Numbers in Britain, Poland, Romania and Sweden are steady.

More than 1.1 million cases had been recorded as of Monday across 31 European countries. More than 136,000 have died, according to the ECDPC.

Unclear cases, low testing rates and the strain on health care systems mean the true scale of the pandemic is surely greater.

Amman insists that this virus will not go away as long as we don't have a vaccine and warns we must not drop our guard.