Governments using lockdowns and quarantines to fight the deadly new coronavirus must ensure people's rights are respected and avoid unintended consequences for their livelihoods, the UN rights chief said Friday.

"Lockdowns, quarantines and other such measures to contain and combat the spread of COVID-19 should always be carried out in strict accordance with human rights standards and in a way that is necessary and proportionate to the evaluated risk," Michelle Bachelet's office said in a statement.