Cafés and restaurants will close in Belgium from Monday for four weeks in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet told RTBF after a government crisis meeting.
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Until now, the closure of cafes only concerned the Brussels region and ran until the beginning of November.
The measure is extended to the whole country and also concerns restaurants.
The minister explained that the decision to close these places judged by the specialists "
the most propagators
" of the virus aimed to avoid "
absolutely
" a new containment as in the spring.
But, he added, "
the situation is serious from a health point of view
", we must "
prevent our health care system from being saturated
".
Read also: Covid-19: Belgian universities significantly reduce their access to students
"
Our hospitals are overcrowded
" insisted the one who is also one of the vice-prime ministers.
"
The figures are as high as they were in March when we decided on a lockdown
(confinement, editor's note)
, that's what we absolutely want to avoid
".
Belgium, a country of 11.5 million inhabitants, recorded 191,959 cases of coronavirus and 10,327 deaths on Friday, making it one of the European countries most bereaved by the pandemic.
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