DIn a video speech, Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès addressed the population. She took stock of all the measures that have been put in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Improvement
“Experts agree that the effects of our efforts on the evolution of the virus in Belgium are being felt. We can clearly see this in several indicators such as the rate of spread of the virus or the rate of doubling of the beds occupied in our hospital services, “said Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès in a new video message on Sunday.
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“These are encouraging data. Despite this, more than ever, we must all persevere, “said the Prime Minister, who also warned that a long reconstruction process was awaiting the country.
“The period we are living in is unprecedented, deeply moving in more ways than one. To protect yourself, to protect the people you love – in fact, to protect society as a whole – we had to take a series of difficult measures which turned our habits upside down, our life in society, our economic life too, “recalls Sophie Wilmès.
Hold on
“The sacrifices we make are major and trying, especially for people who are alone. And these sacrifices must not be in vain, ”she adds.
The current data on the development of the coronavirus epidemic in Belgium is encouraging. “This has allowed us so far to avoid saturation of our hospitals and, in particular, our intensive care services,” said the Prime Minister, who added that the capacity to redirect patients to other hospitals still exists.
“Unfortunately, we know that after peak transmission comes hospitalizations and far too often deaths. The announcements for the coming weeks will therefore still be very trying, I fear, “warns Sophie Wilmès, however, who insists that” we must imperatively continue to respect the difficult rules of confinement and social distancing. “
And the minister to explain. “We must also do so by respecting the injunctions of our police services. They are there to protect you, not to bore you. ”
Mistrust
“Like all those who continue to make the country go round by their work, we owe them recognition and support. Among these people, there are obviously those who work in our health services. Those who guide us with the extraordinary courage they demonstrate on a daily basis. We know that the question of their working conditions is at the center of your concerns. This is also our case. Beware of ad effects, ready-made formulas like “just do this or you just have to do this,” warned the elected MR.
“Certainly, Belgium is a country that has a huge capacity, with one of the most developed healthcare systems in the world. But in the current international context, even countries like ours are facing difficulties ”.
Masks, drugs …
“The shortage of medical supplies is an illustration of this,” said the head of government. “Uncertainties related to material deliveries have unfortunately become the norm. The federal government, the federated entities and the health services fight every day to find masks, quality medical devices, medicines too. And if the situation is clearly improving on the ground, it is obviously still insufficient for many of us. The obstacles remain numerous. However, as an example, the federal government has already been able to order more than 50 million masks, “said Sophie Wilmès. “This figure does not take into account orders placed through other players. As you can see everyone is working. Our Sovereign also is fully invested. He supports all of our efforts through diplomatic channels. “
Screening tests
“We are also working to increase our screening capacity through the development of new techniques but also by increasing the number of labs capable of carrying them out. If we were testing between 4 and 5,000 people a day last week, that number will increase to 10,000 next week. The goal is to be able to multiply this figure in the short term, “said Sophie Wilmès.
“This is the result of remarkable collaboration between universities and laboratories; what Belgium can be proud of. Our intention is to be able to equip and test a maximum of people including those who need it most in the exercise of their function. This, always by priority and in coherence with the reality on the ground. It is not a choice but a necessity. What we cannot import from abroad, we want to manufacture here. We thus met with the pharma sector, the Belgian textile sector and even medical equipment; and this, to study to what extent we can launch initiatives in this direction ”.
Socio-economic consequences
The head of the federal government also warned that the socio-economic consequences would be felt for a long time after the return to normalcy. He recalled the measures already taken by his government in favor of workers but also the self-employed and businesses and added that other measures would come “in particular in support of the health care sector. “
“Other measures will come in particular to support the health care sector. You see: many decisions have been made. Others also concern mobility, asylum management and support for the most vulnerable among us. These decisions are taken at federal government level, in a team with the support of parliament and the social partners. But not only. Regions and communities have also taken measures to deal with the situation. The municipalities and their CPAS are also on a daily basis at the service of the people who need them most. We are all in action. It’s, in fact, the whole country that puts itself at the service of the fight against corona. ”
The duration of confinement
“Many people ask me when they can resume their daily habits, go back to school for example, go to work normally. We all aspire to a return to normal, ”said La Première.
“We decided at the last National Security Council that the current containment measures will apply until April 19. This deadline – as you know – could be extended to May 3. In any case, we will continue this work of evaluation week after week. One day this test will be totally behind us. And even if no one can say exactly when this moment will come, we are preparing for it. ”
Before and after covi-d19
“More generally, we must prepare our country for the transition. Because the return to normal cannot be done gradually. To do this, we surround ourselves with a high-level group of experts from the scientific, economic and social world. It’s a long reconstruction process ahead.
It is obvious that there will be a before and after “covid-19”, whether in the way of looking at our relationship with others or in the functioning of our society, more generally.
We have to make sure that we get out of this ordeal strengthened, ”concluded the Prime Minister.
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