(Brussels) Belgium announced on Monday a further tightening of measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic, in the face of an increase in cases in the country and in order to “avoid a generalized containment”.
Posted on 27 July 2020 at 11 h 33
France Media Agency
“The epidemiological data are worrying and we are very concerned,” Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès said at a press conference following a National Security Council. She expressed in particular “serious concerns” about “a major epidemiological conflagration” in Antwerp.
Faced with this situation, the number of people that Belgians are allowed to see as part of their “contact bubble” has been lowered by 11 to 5 people from Wednesday for the next four weeks.
Public events will be limited to 100 people inside (instead of 200) and 200 outside (instead of 400) and wearing a mask will be compulsory.
Teleworking is “strongly recommended when possible”, continued Sophie Wilmès, regretting that it is “used less and less”.
Belgians are also invited to do their shopping alone and to limit them to 27 minutes.
Reinforced measures had already come into force on Saturday, in particular the compulsory wearing of masks in places with high traffic (markets, flea markets, shopping streets, hotels, etc.). The mask has been compulsory since 11 July in public transport, shops, cinemas, places of worship, museums and libraries.
While wearing a mask is not generally required, it is mandatory in “many situations”, underlined M me Wilmès.
The Prime Minister called on the Belgians to be “patient” and “courageous”. “All of these measures are being taken to avoid widespread re-containment. They must be respected at all ages, in all situations, ”she urged, while most infections occur in children under 47 years.
The previous confinement was “extremely trying for most of our fellow citizens” and “we are at the dawn of an unprecedented economic crisis”, she stressed to explain the need to avoid a new containment.
On average, 279 people per day contracted an infection with COVID – 15 in the past week, versus 100 in the previous week.
The situation was particularly problematic in the province of Antwerp, which recorded 33% of new infections last week , and the prime minister called on local authorities to take “strong measures” quickly.
The country had Monday 66 026 cases identified since the start of the pandemic and 9821 deaths.
Belgium is one of the countries with the highest number of deaths from COVID – 15 in relation to its population, with 85 deaths for 100 00 0 inhabitants.
The authorities' census of coronavirus deaths is one of the most exhaustive in the world since the deaths possibly linked to the virus are included without this having been proven by a test.
