the Brussels government does not rule out new health measures in the capital

The wearing of a mask has been imposed in Brussels since last Wednesday for anyone aged 12 or over. But, if it is useful, the measure is not enough to stem the rebound of the epidemic in the capital according to the group of experts Celeval, which assists the government in the measures to be adopted to fight against the coronavirus. These experts therefore ask that the wearing of the compulsory mask, additional measures.

Contacted, the cabinet of Minister-President Rudi Vervoort explains not “exclude new measures”. “But as of today, nothing is decided yet”, we are told. Discussions and meetings are held every day with the competent authorities to analyze the evolution of the epidemic in Brussels and the impact of the general wearing of masks. An impact difficult to estimate, we are told just a few days before the application of this new rule in the streets. But there is “concerns and thoughts on possible measures “.

On Radio 1 this Tuesday morning, the Minister of Health in the college of the Common Community Commission, Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), has already announced more categorically that if the figures of the coronavirus epidemic in the capital does not weaken, new measures will be put in place to bend the contaminations curve. For the ecologist, the current measures must also be maintained. And she also added that in five days, the impact of the obligation to wear a mask in the street and in private places accessible to the public cannot be measured. “For that, you usually have to wait two weeks”, she adds. “This measure must be respected and, for the moment, the important thing is to ensure that it is”, emphasizes the ecologist.

What new measures?

According to our information, the Brussels authorities are under strong pressure to put in place new measures like those decided on in Antwerp at the end of July. Measures such as a curfew which, in the province of Antwerp, begins at 11:30 p.m. But on the one hand, the experts are not unanimous on the positive impact of a curfew on the evolution of the epidemic, and on the other hand, the Brussels authorities fear that this will have devastating consequences. at the socio-economic and psycho-social level. So it would not be this type of change that is looming.

One of the avenues considered is rather to take measures at the local level, in the municipalities most affected by the coronavirus. “The local authorities now have more precise figures concerning the outbreaks and the situation in the municipalities “, we are assured on the side of the cabinet of Rudi Vervoort. These new measures could also be decided even before the National Security Council on Thursday.

On the same wavelength, the Brussels Minister of Health Alain Maron (Ecolo) wishes to further strengthen the monitoring of clusters, sources of contamination. This would make it possible to target certain neighborhoods in Brussels in which the authorities would step up their prevention campaigns. An operation far from simple since these outbreaks are often concentrated within family nuclei and would not necessarily be representative of the reality of the epidemic within the targeted neighborhood.

Beyond prevention campaigns, testing also carried out more at local levels could be set up. The most affected neighborhoods would have an open antenna to carry out tests. But here too, the realization of such a project, in particular because there is no legal basis for it, risks being difficult, we are told.

Finally, the Brussels authorities will also have to define new benchmarks allowing them to assess the seriousness of the situation in the Region. Because if before, the reception capacity in intensive care was used to know if it was necessary to adjust health measures, it is today more complicated to refer to it as the number of hospitalizations is low compared to the last months. Still, this important rebound in Brussels worries. A new meeting between the authorities of the Brussels Region should be held before the National Security Council on Thursday to determine whether new measures will be taken immediately.

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