Belgium has recorded in recent days a " worrying " increase in coronavirus cases, especially in the province of Antwerp (north), health authorities announced on Monday (July 27), as the country plans to toughen its measures of prevention.
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" The rapid increase in the number of cases is worrying, " Professor Frédérique Jacobs, who heads the infectious diseases clinic at the Erasme hospital in Brussels, told a press conference. She stressed that the situation was particularly problematic in the province of Antwerp, which recorded 47% of new infections last week. Measures have been taken locally to try to contain the epidemic.
But " the number of infections is also increasing considerably in the rest of the country, " added Frederique Jacobs. The Belgian authorities have been meeting since 9 am within a National Security Council, to consider additional national measures in the face of the increase in cases.
On average, 279 people per day acquired a Covid-19 infection in the past week, up from 163 the previous week. " Most infections still occur in the working population, that is to say people aged 20 to 59 years, " said Frédérique Jacobs. " It will take some time to put the situation in order and for that we will all have to adjust our behavior, " she insisted.
9,821 deaths
The country had 66,026 cases listed since the start of the pandemic and 9,821 deaths on Monday. The death of a three-year-old girl, Belgium's youngest victim, was announced on Friday. The child presented with several associated pathologies. " It is undeniably a worrying curve that is emerging at the moment, " said a spokesperson for the National Crisis Center, Antoine Iseux, during the press conference. But " together, we can prevent this wave from surging ," he added.
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Reinforced measures came into force on Saturday, in particular the compulsory wearing of masks in high-traffic areas, such as markets, flea markets, shopping streets, hotels, restaurants and cafes. The mask was already compulsory since July 11 in public transport, shops, cinemas, places of worship or even museums and libraries. Belgians, who are currently allowed to see 15 people per week, could see this reduced " contact bubble " on Monday .
Belgium is one of the countries with the highest number of deaths from Covid-19 compared to its population, with 85 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The census, by the Belgian authorities, of the deaths from the coronavirus is one of the most exhaustive in the world since the deaths possibly linked to the virus are included without this having been proven by a test.