Home » News » Coronavirus in Belgium – LATEST NEWS: 1.25 million Belgians temporarily unemployed, shortage of disinfectant gel resolved

Coronavirus in Belgium – LATEST NEWS: 1.25 million Belgians temporarily unemployed, shortage of disinfectant gel resolved

The coronavirus in Belgium and the containment put in place more than two weeks ago to limit the epidemic has temporarily transformed Belgian society. Follow the latest information on the health situation, measures to combat the epidemic and the socio-economic consequences of confinement here.

SANITARY ASSESSMENT (last 24 hours)

Confirmed cases

New confirmed cases: 1,209

The number of people screened does not, however, reflect the actual number of people infected with the coronavirus in Belgium, since only the people most seriously affected are screened.

Death

New: 205 – Total: 2240

Hospitalizations

Inputs: 487 – Outputs: 524

5688 people hospitalized at this time including 1276 in intensive care ().

“As the figures show today, the situation seems to be approaching what can be called a peak or a plateau. The next few days will tell us what type of scenario we are going towards”, commented Emmanuel André at the press conference. ((see details of the day)

CORONAVIRUS – THE DIRECT

Service voucher sector refuses to pay compensation, say unions

The sectoral federation of service vouchers Federgon refuses to pay the daily allowance of two euros in addition to temporary unemployment, provided for in the Collective Work Agreement (CCT), denounces Wednesday the common union front (CSC-FGTB-CGSLB) by press release .

Four thousand requests for closing bonuses in Brussels in one day

At the end of the first day of registration of requests for closing bonuses intended for Brussels companies with less than 50 workers affected by the coronavirus crisis, the Region registered 4,000, said the office of the secretary of state on Wednesday evening. at the Economic Transition, Barbara Trachte (Ecolo).

The prison population reduced to 10,000 prisoners

The number of detainees in Belgian prisons was reduced to 10,000 during this coronavirus crisis, said the minister, Koen Geens, during the Justice Committee in the House, Wednesday afternoon. This decrease follows several measures taken to reduce concentrations within the prison population.


Four more repatriation flights planned this week

Four flights are still planned this week to repatriate Belgian nationals who are abroad and wish to return to the country following the coronavirus pandemic, said Wednesday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Philippe Goffin. These repatriation flights will leave for Niger, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Africa as well as for the Dominican Republic and Colombia in Central and South America.

Economic effect of the coronavirus for Belgium

Compared to the scenario without a crisis, the cumulative loss of GDP (Gross Domestic Product which measures the production of wealth) would amount to almost 30 billion euros at the end of June 2020, 45 billion at the end of December and almost 60 billion at the end of 2021.

Stib marks social distancing with stickers

The Stib now indicates with red stickers the seats on which passengers cannot sit, in trams, metros and buses, to respect the social distance of 1.50 meters.

Two golfers fined Tuesday in Louvain-la-Neuve

The two individuals were arrested while practicing their sport on the site of the Golf de Louvain-la-Neuve, which is however closed to the public. A report was drawn up and sent to the Brabant prosecutor’s office.

Almost one in three workers now temporarily unemployed

Belgium now has 1.25 million people registered in the temporary unemployment system, said Federal Minister of Employment Nathalie Muylle on Wednesday on Radio 1 (VRT), which equates to almost one worker or employee active on three. The system of temporary unemployment has been considerably relaxed to avoid mass layoffs or bankruptcies due to the crisis.

Gel production capacity increased by one million liters

The imminent shortage of hand sanitizing gel has been resolved with the help of Belgian chemical, pharmaceutical and food companies which have increased production by one million liters, welcome the sectoral federations Fevia and Essenscia.

Belgian frozen french fries hard hit by coronavirus

The Belgian potato sector is also suffering from the coronavirus crisis, while Belgium is famous for the export of frozen potato products. Production and sales in supermarkets are collapsing. French fries are piling up on frozen shelves and many manufacturers are stalled. Potato producers risk losing 200 million euros, De Tijd and De Morgen reported on Wednesday.

Three times fewer visits to online betting sites

However, it was expected that once confined, more Belgians would turn to online betting and games of chance. This decrease is due to the cancellation of a number of competitions and sporting events. Except in Belarus, there is no more football competition in Europe.

Brussels companies can submit requests for closing bonuses

From this Wednesday, Brussels businesses and independents forced to close following the containment measures decided by the National Security Council can submit their request for the grant of a single compensation premium. This premium is 4,000 euros. “This premium of 4,000 euros should help establishments meet their fixed costs and thus relieve their cash flow. It is part of a set of measures taken by the Brussels Government to reduce the consequences of the coronavirus on businesses and the Brussels economy” , commented the Brussels secretary of state for economic transition. The form to submit the premium request is to be completed on the following page: www.primecovid.brussels.

The wages of temporary unemployed people increased by their employer in one in 10 cases

Slightly more than one out of 10 temporary unemployed workers due to force majeure sees their salary adjusted by their employer during the coronavirus crisis, according to an analysis by Acerta RH on wages in March. Managers benefit much more (17.5% of them) than employees (11.9%) and workers (5.5%). ((Find out more)

Management and unions validate a compensation agreement at Lidl and Colruyt

The unions and management of the Colruyt and Lidl groups have negotiated and approved a series of compensation measures to be granted to workers in the context of the health crisis, the CNE union said on Tuesday.

> CORONAVIRUS: RTL INFO answers your questions

– .

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.