Everyone must learn to live with Covid-19 while staying protected, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said during a briefing in Geneva on Thursday.

“We must all learn to live with the virus,” he said, “and to take the steps necessary to live our lives while protecting ourselves and others – especially those at highest risk of Covid-19.” 

While Tedros acknowledged this isn’t easy, he said it can be done.

“The pandemic does not mean life has to stop,” Tedros said.

He congratulated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the steps that were put in place to make the Hajj as safe as possible this year, calling it a “powerful demonstration of the kinds of measures that countries can – and must – take to adapt to the new normal.”

CNN previously reported that Saudi Arabia will limit the number of people who could take part in the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and that it would be restricted to pilgrims of all nationalities who already reside in the country.