English variant: massive screening after the outbreak discovered in a Belgian retirement home

Belgium, which fears a rapid spread of the British variant of Covid-19, will have 2,800 people tested in twelve schools after the discovery of an outbreak in a retirement home in West Flanders.

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A hundred people have been infected with the British variant of the coronavirus, in the retirement home De Groene Verte, in the town of Houthulst, the management of the establishment said on Sunday.

Three of its residents have died.

On Monday the mayor, Joris Hindryckx, said that a total of "

" people were infected in his town of some 10,000 inhabitants, including, in addition to the retirement home, sick residents of another care establishment, De Veugels, which welcomes the disabled.

As a precaution, in order to stem the spread of this variant, the authorities in West Flanders will carry out a screening campaign on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a traveling bus, with around 2,300 students and 500 adults supervising them.

Are concerned, according to a statement from the governor of this province Carl Decaluwé: six primary schools in Houthulst, and six others from three neighboring localities, Dixmude (4), Lo-Reninge (1) and Heuvelland (1).

These are schools with "

" with the two care structures hit hard by the pandemic, it is stressed.

Some students from these schools are already in quarantine.

All will have to pass a PCR test.

The origin of the outbreak identified at the De Groene Verte retirement home - which affects 80 people according to the mayor (not counting employees who do not live in the municipality) - has not yet been determined.

This is a priori an "

", no known person having stayed in the United Kingdom, Hindryckx said Sunday.

In the midst of a vaccination campaign targeting seniors in retirement homes, fears about a rapid spread of the British variant have revived the debate in Belgium on restrictions on travel outside of borders.

Non-essential trips abroad are strongly discouraged.

The government could decide by the end of the week to reduce the maximum length of stay to avoid testing and quarantine on return (currently 48 hours).

Belgium, a country of 11.5 million inhabitants, recorded 678,839 cases of coronavirus and 20,435 deaths on Monday, making it the most bereaved country in the world reported to the population.

Two schools in the Antwerp region, in Edegem and Kontich, had to keep their doors closed on Monday after the discovery of contaminations with the British variant of the virus.