Less stringent steps have been taken by the southern Walloon part of the country, and the Flemish north has not yet announced any stricter restrictions. Many Belgians criticize the situation as confusing, and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called for unity on Monday.
–
In the country of 11 million, the curves of the number of infections have been growing rapidly for several weeks, while still remaining just below the Czech ones, which are the worst in the European Union in terms of the number of new cases per capita.
–
Last week, the Belgian daily increase in infected numbers exceeded 12,000 and continues to grow. However, according to experts, a more fundamental harbinger of the critical situation is the fact that the proportion of positive tests has approached 20 percent and that hospital beds, including places in intensive care units, are gradually being filled. It is the workload of hospitals that the authorities justify the new restrictions they have announced in recent days.
–
Confusion in the regulations
In recent days, many Belgians have found it difficult to find out what will happen in their city, neighborhood or school in the near future. It began with the Belgian central government announcing a slight tightening of existing restrictions on Friday, which, however, did not have much effect on practical life. The next day, however, the government of the Brussels-Walloon Federation announced the ban on going out at night in the metropolis and in the south of Belgium.
–
A few hours later, the Brussels municipality added that cinemas and theaters would be closed in the capital from Monday and that collective sports for people over the age of 12 would be banned. On Sunday, the Brussels-Walloon authorities again decided on distance learning for high school students.
–
In addition, the individual districts of Brussels come with their own regulations, whose epidemiological situation often varies greatly. The Flemish region, where most Belgians live, on the other hand, has so far rejected any tightening with reference to economic or educational implications.
–
“It simply came to our notice then. One day they will tell you that nothing will change and the next day they will forbid you to leave the house in the evening. But this is still the case in Belgium, we have a lot of governments, “said Marc De Proost, a student at ULB University in Brussels. .
–
However, like many other Belgians, it is more supportive of the restriction if it would help prevent a recurrence of the spring situation, when almost 10,000 people died in the country. While during the first wave the number of deaths with covid-19 was around two hundred a day, now it is about thirty.
–
The inconsistency of the steps taken on Monday was also criticized by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who took over the government at the beginning of the month at the time of the onset of the current wave of the disease.
–
“We should not allow ourselves to be divided as a country by fighting the virus. If we do not take the necessary steps in unison, we will not defeat the virus, “the Prime Minister representing the Flemish Liberals in the government told the media. However, the current situation is so serious that, according to the Prime Minister, all parts of the country should pull together.
–
“The virus in Wallonia is no different from that in Flanders, it affects the whole of our country,” the prime minister said.
—
