Coronavirus updates: WHO warns people must be ready for 'new way of living'

A global pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 170,000 people worldwide.

Nearly 2.5 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations' outbreaks.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the United States has become the worst-affected nation, with more than 787,000 diagnosed cases and at least 42,364 deaths. The number of cases in New York state alone is higher than in any single country outside the U.S.

Germany's iconic Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, has been canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We are living in different times," Soder told a press conference.

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter added, "It is an emotionally difficult moment and of course it is also an economically difficult moment for our city."

Germany, which has more than 147,000 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, lifted some social distancing measures on Monday, but major events with large audiences remain banned until at least the end of August.

As many countries seek to lift lockdowns and other social distancing measures put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that easing restrictions too soon would likely lead to a resurgence of infections.

"This is not the time to be lax," Dr. Takeshi Kasai, the WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, told an online press conference. "Instead, we need to ready ourselves for a new way of living for the foreseeable future."

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