Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès announced Thursday a strengthening, from Saturday, of measures to face the increase in coronavirus cases, with the compulsory wearing of the mask in "any place with high traffic": markets, flea markets, shopping streets, hotels, restaurants and cafes.
The mask was already compulsory since July 11 in public transport, shops, cinemas, places of worship or even museums and libraries.
Belgians allowed to see 15 people per week
The “high traffic” areas where the mask must now be worn will be defined by the local authorities. Regarding hotels, cafes and restaurants, wearing a mask will not be compulsory at the table. On the other hand, customers must provide an email address or a telephone number to allow follow-up in the event of contamination.
More generally, "we must be able to list the people we saw during the week," said Sophie Wilmès at a press conference.
Belgians are currently authorized to see 15 people per week, but "this bubble of 15 is certainly not definitive and its maintenance in the future will depend on individual behavior", explained the Prime Minister.
"Take action today rather than regret it tomorrow"
"The announcement of a tougher rule is a blow to our morale, but we prefer to take action today rather than regret it tomorrow," she said.
In addition to wearing a mask, Sophie Wilmès announced that "fairs and exhibitions will not be able to resume yet". “We are considering a return to activities from September 1, subject to very strict monitoring,” she said.
As for the night shops, they will have to close their doors at 10 pm, to avoid risky gatherings, because it is "in what is happening around these night shops that we see difficulties", explained Sophie. Wilmes.
193 cases diagnosed per day
In Belgium, the number of new infections during the period from July 13 to 19 increased by 91% with an average of 193 cases diagnosed per day, against 101 the previous week. The country had 64,627 cases listed since the start of the pandemic and 9,808 deaths on Thursday.
"If the latest figures concerning the epidemic should not panic us, they must nevertheless be taken extremely seriously", warned Sophie Wilmès. "An increase in contamination is an integral part of the deconfinement process (...) It is not abnormal, but it must remain under control", she added.
“The counterpart of our regained freedoms is absolute caution. Otherwise we run the risk of having to take extremely tough measures again, ”she also stressed.
85 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants
Belgium is one of the countries with the highest number of deaths from Covid-19 compared to its population, with 85 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
The census by the Belgian authorities of coronavirus deaths is one of the most exhaustive in the world since deaths possibly linked to the virus are included without this having been proven by a test.
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