Brussels (AFP)

Wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory everywhere in Brussels from October 1 but "strongly recommended" to fight against the coronavirus, a spokesperson for the head of the regional executive Rudi Vervoort told AFP on Wednesday.

This measure was imposed on August 12 throughout the territory of the Brussels-Capital region, without distinction of place or time, arousing criticism.

The obligation should now concern "only high density areas," said spokeswoman Nancy Ngoma.

"At the local level, the mayors will be free to take the measures applying to their territory", she also stressed, while the region has 19 municipalities.

The announcement follows remarks by Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès who announced the relaxation of certain anti-Covid restrictions in order to ensure the support of the population in the longer term.

"The virus is still there, but life must go on," said Ms. Wilmès at a press conference after a meeting of the National Security Council.

"Wearing a mask is very important in the management of the epidemic. However, it is useless to impose it everywhere, all the time", added the French-speaking liberal leader.

She urged local authorities not to make it compulsory everywhere outdoors but to limit themselves to closed public places, public transport and shopping areas.

Ms. Wilmès also announced a reduction from 14 to 7 days in the duration of isolation imposed in the event of close contact with a person infected with the coronavirus.

In addition, "close" contacts are now authorized for everyone with five people "chosen for a month".

Until then, it was a maximum of five people per household.

For any one-off private event, such as dinner at home or having a drink on the terrace, the maximum limit can be increased to ten people, not including children.

As for public events, the gauge of 200 people indoors, 400 outdoors, "remains applicable," said the Prime Minister.

Finally, an "epidemic barometer" will soon see the light of day to adapt the restrictions to the circulation of the virus which varies according to the regions.

"It will operate according to a system of stages (...) and will be based mainly on the evolution of the number of hospitalizations", she said.

Ms. Wilmès underlined the importance of "limiting the saturation" of hospitals, which was already the priority objective in the spring during the peak of the pandemic.

In Belgium, a country of 11.5 million inhabitants, the authorities recorded on Wednesday 105,226 cases of Covid-19 and 9,955 deaths, one of the highest death rates in Europe.

© 2020 AFP