Several Belgian municipalities announced additional measures on Saturday to prevent further spread of the corona virus in the country. The National Security Council will discuss Monday at an early meeting whether additional measures are needed at national level.
Some Belgian coastal municipalities announced on Saturday that the mouth mask obligation in the area is being tightened further. For example, from Monday it is mandatory in the municipalities of Koksijde, De Panne and Nieuwpoort to wear a face mask in all publicly accessible places. In Ostend, the wide-mouth mask requirement has already been introduced on Saturday.
For the time being, the mouth mask requirement in the relevant coastal municipalities does not apply on the beach, in nature reserves, during sports and during a car ride.
Measures are also being tightened in other areas in the country. The municipality of Antwerp announced on Saturday, after a crisis deliberation, that residents of the area should limit their social contacts to ten people. In addition, it is no longer allowed to meet with more than ten people in the municipality, writes The standard. The measure applies in any case for the next four weeks.
The Belgian Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss whether more stringent measures are needed at national level, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès said on Saturday. “A strong local approach is also fundamental to the most affected areas,” the prime minister said on Twitter.
Number of infections increased by 89 percent
The number of coronavirus infections in Belgium has risen sharply recently. 1,290 new infections were diagnosed in the country last week, an increase of nearly 89 percent from a week earlier.
Following the rapid increase, already last week extra coronamaatregelen announced, which will apply from Saturday.
Among other things, it was mandatory to wear masks in markets, fairgrounds, shopping streets, in places where many people come and in publicly accessible buildings. Catering establishments must record guest details and night shops must close their doors by 22:00 at the latest.
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