The obligation to wear a mask in Brussels decided last week by the regional government is not a sufficient measure to adequately counter the virus, according to the report of the meeting of the Celeval expert group last Thursday and whose De Tijd daily was able to take notice.
The Celeval expert group, which assists the government in the measures to be adopted to fight against the coronavirus, criticizes in a report the approach taken by the authorities of the capital. “Celeval remains concerned about the epidemiological situation in Brussels and considers the generalization of the obligation to wear a mask as the only measure insufficient”, is it in particular indicated.
“Mouth masks are a useful measure in some densely populated areas”, declares the virologist and interim president of the Celeval, Steven Van Gucht. “But we have the impression that, for the Brussels authorities, the generalization of this obligation to wear the mask does not require any other additional measure.”
Mr. Van Gucht and the Celeval experts, however, recommend an intensive campaign in the districts of Brussels. As in Antwerp, most of the infections recorded in the capital occur in poorer and densely populated neighborhoods near the canal. Mr. Van Gucht is, moreover, not in favor of closing cafes in Brussels, nor of tightening the rules put in place to fight against the coronavirus.
The spokesperson for the Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort (PS) ensures that no new measures are planned for the moment. “The requirement to wear a mask was introduced only five days ago. It is not long enough to estimate the impact on the spread of the virus,” he points out. Brussels also prefers to wait for the decisions of the next National Security Council on Thursday.
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