“It is very disturbing. The coronavirus is spreading faster and faster and we must prevent it as soon as possible, “The Brussels Times De Crooa quoted the server as saying. His government has introduced measures since last Friday that most affect restaurant facilities. Restrictions on amateur sports will also affect at least one month. But schools, for example, remain open.
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While restaurants as such may be open until 01:00 in the morning, cafés and bars must close as early as 22:00. But this is not to the liking of the owners, who try to avoid closing their businesses at the given time by turning their bars into restaurants.
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“Bars are places where food is not sold. I offer canapes and desserts, so I have two options. Now I do not represent myself as a bar owner, but as a restaurant owner, “said Aurore Phanariotis, who owns Le Paon d’Or in Brussels.
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However, the government tried to bring order to the facility, so it decided that open businesses must affix the official permit of the food inspection at the entrance. If they do not have it, they will be considered a bar no matter how many meals they offer.
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The current measures will not affect classic shops too much. It only has to close by 22:00. People should keep at least half a meter apart and wear veils. Meetings of more than four people are forbidden and people should work from home if the situation allows.
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However, all these restrictions are likely to be tightened today, when the government acts. According to Le Soir, Belgians are at risk of a total curfew between 23:00 and 06:00. “Good idea, but it must be taken into account that it is not necessary to order it nationwide, but only in the worst affected areas,” epidemiologist Pierre Van Damme told HLN. One of the most affected areas is, for example, the capital Brussels.
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Time until mid-November
According to official government figures, an average of 5,976 people have been infected daily in Belgium in the last 7 days, 96 percent more than the week before. Over the same period, mortality also rose by 11 percent and the number of cases requiring hospitalization by 101 percent. The reproductive number, which indicates how many other people infect an infected individual, rose to 1.56.
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It’s still not time to panic.
Crisis center spokesman Yves Van Laethem
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For these reasons, too, health concerns have risen in Belgium. If coronavirus infection cannot be stopped or at least slowed down, Belgium may be vacant in the ICU in mid-November. There are currently 1,949 people in the care of doctors, 327 in the ICU. Hospitals in Brussels today have moved to phase 1B, which means that 50 percent of their beds in the ICU must be reserved for patients with covid-19.
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“By mid-November, we will reach the maximum capacity of 2,000 beds in the ICU at this rate. We must definitely avoid this scenario, “said Yves Van Laeth, a spokesman for the Crisis-19 Crisis Center.
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According to Laethem, an average of 152 patients were admitted to hospitals daily each week, an 80 percent increase. However, he reassured citizens that Belgium is still not in the same situation as in March and April. “There is definitely no time to panic,” he added.
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In March and April, Belgium had one of the worst infections in the world per capita.
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, 191,959 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Belgium, 10,327 of whom have died. 149,010 cases have been confirmed in the Czech Republic so far, and 1230 people have died. Belgium performed a total of 3.9 million tests, the Czechia 1.7 million.
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