COPENHAGEN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge on Thursday described the continent as being in the "eye of the storm" as some European countries start to reopen over signs of a slowing in the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a press conference on COVID-19 broadcast online from the WHO Regional Office for Europe in Copenhagen, Kluge said approximately one million Europeans in the 53 countries of the WHO European region, 50 percent of the global total, have been infected with COVID-19 and of that 84,000 had perished due to the virus in the past 100 days.

Kluge noted that "the next few weeks will be critical for Europe."

He said several countries are yet to feel its full impact, while others are experiencing a lull as numbers of new cases of COVID-19 are falling.

"Small, positive signals in some countries are tempered by sustained or increased levels of incidence in other countries including the UK, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Russian Federation."

Kluge made a call for action to European governments as some Europeans were letting down their guard as they found social distancing and lockdowns tiresome and without end.

"Governments and health authorities must come up with answers to identify when, under what conditions and how we can consider a safe transition through a gradual shift in measures."

Emphasizing there were no "quick wins", Kluge went on to list 6 key points from new guidelines his office had drawn up for European governments transitioning from a lockdown, due to be released in full next week.

-- Evidence shows COVID-19 transmission is controlled.

-- Public health and health system capacities must be made ready to identify, isolate, test, trace contacts and quarantine.

-- Outbreak risks must be minimized in high-vulnerability settings such as homes for the elderly, mental health facilities and people residing in crowded places.

-- Workplace preventive measures must be established, including physical distancing, hand-washing facilities, and respiratory etiquette.

-- Importation risks can be managed.

-- Community engagement and participation in the transition.

"If you cannot ensure these criteria are in place, before easing restrictions, I urge you to re-think," said Kluge.

Addressing the complexity and uncertainty ahead, Kluge made a rallying call for both flexibility, when easing and enforcing restrictions, and solidarity when facing the "unforgiving" threat COVID-19 poses on society.

"We are entering a period when we may need to rapidly adjust measures, introduce and remove restrictions and ease restrictions gradually, whilst constantly monitoring the effectiveness of these actions and the response and reactions of the public."

Meantime, the WHO official urged European countries to "watch, learn and listen to each other, particularly the countries that are already taking steps to ease restrictions and transition to a next phase of response."

"More than ever, I call for solidarity between countries. It is the time to step-up and display both responsive and responsible leadership to steer us through this storm," Kluge said.