The regional government of Brussels has announced that wearing a mask will become compulsory in public spaces throughout the territory around and in the Belgian capital, starting on Wednesday.

Wearing a mask becomes compulsory in public spaces from Wednesday throughout the territory of the Brussels region to fight against the spread of the coronavirus, announced the regional government. It was already closed in most public places since July 11 for all people aged at least 12 years.

"Wearing a mask is therefore now compulsory for anyone aged 12 and over"

The generalization of the obligation in the 19 municipalities of the region is explained by the crossing of the threshold of 50 daily contaminations per 100,000 inhabitants (more than 600 new infections per day in this territory of approximately 1.2 million inhabitants) , according to a statement. "This Wednesday, August 12, 2020, the incidence rate in Brussels has reached the average of 50 cases of Covid-19 contamination per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 7 days," he explained.

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"Wearing a mask covering the nose and mouth is therefore now compulsory for anyone aged 12 and over in public places and in private places accessible to the public throughout the territory of the Brussels Region. Capital ", adds the regional government. The obligation does not at this stage apply to the provinces of the other two regions of Belgium, Dutch-speaking Flanders (north) and French-speaking Wallonia (south).

Nearly 10,000 dead in Belgium

In Brussels, however, the regulations provide for exceptions. Wearing a mask is not compulsory "when playing a sport, performing intensive physical work on public roads, and for people with a disability that does not allow them to wear a mask or a face shield ", it is still indicated.

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Belgium, a country of about 11.5 million inhabitants, passed the threshold of 75,000 people infected with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic (75,008) on Wednesday, a figure that has been rising again since July. There were nearly 10,000 deaths (9,879 recorded on Tuesday), one of the highest death rates in the world. The counting of the Belgian authorities 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.