“In view of the current situation, we can no longer wait to take new measures”, warns the professor of general medicine at the VUB Dirk Devroey on Wednesday in Het Laatste Nieuws. “Every 14 minutes, someone dies because some people don’t follow the measures,” he adds. With a daily average of 102 deaths, the figures no longer seem to be heading in the right direction 10 days before the Consultative Committee aimed at reassessing the situation.
“I think the existing measures are good, reacts Marc Van Ranst, interviewed by LaLibre.be. But everyone must adhere to the existing measures for them to prove effective”. The virologist, member of the Risk Assessment Group (RAG), points the finger at “10% of the population who are not careful while 90% respect the rules”. According to him, it is the behavior of this proportion of the population that explains the current figures.
Yves Coppieters, whom we also contacted, shares this observation. “I do not think that we should consider more restrictive measures”, he considers. The ULB epidemiologist indeed hopes that things will settle naturally with the arrival of school holidays. “Fewer people will go to school and work, which should normally slow down the epidemic, as we saw during the autumn holidays.”
“We’re not going to cancel Christmas”
Yves Coppieters is well aware that the end of year celebrations will promote the risk of contamination, but it seems difficult for him to impose more restrictive measures such as the closure of non-essential stores or the restriction of travel. “We are already in a very restrictive context. Taking more measures would be like canceling Christmas.” On the other hand, the expert asks citizens to take their responsibilities. “People need to display their purchases and avoid the crowds.”
Marc Van Ranst for his part is prepared for any eventuality. “I think in any case that the relaxation of the measures will not materialize at the next Concertation Committee and we must not exclude more restrictive measures”, underlines the expert. He insists on the very tight timing between Christmas and New Years which could be the origin of the third wave to be avoided at all costs. “Take the example of Italy, they decided to close everything for Christmas and New Year and that everyone stays at home. This remains a possibility,” he said.
For Nathan Clumeck, professor of infectious diseases at ULB and CHU Saint-Pierre, any restrictive measure deserves careful consideration, especially since the situation is not the same across the country. “Before making decisions that are likely to be frowned upon, we need more information on the sources of infection, he said.” If we follow current measures, the risk of transmission is low.
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