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The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander de Croo, decreed this Friday a curfew throughout the Belgian territory and the closure of bars and restaurants, to combat what he called an “exponential increase” in COVID-19 cases in Belgium.
Referring that “the figures are alarming and significantly higher than in March and April”, when “tough measures” were taken, De Croo said that the mission of the Belgian government is “to reduce those figures” and that for this it will be necessary to adopt “measures stricter. “
Among the measures adopted – and that will come into force as of next Monday – is the curfew between 0 and 5 in the morning, the prohibition of the sale of alcohol after 8 at night, and the closure of bars and cafes for the period of one month.
“The cafes and restaurants are going to close, this is a temporary measure that will be in effect for a month. An evaluation will be done in two weeks to decide whether the measure will continue,” De Croo said.
Teleworking is also mandatory “whenever possible” and meeting with a maximum of one person outside the home will be authorized.
“We are aware that these measures are very harsh and that, for many people, they are unfair, but this virus is also unfair. Although it affects us all, it mainly affects the most vulnerable people and we must adopt these measures to protect these people. . “, stressed the Belgian Prime Minister.
De Croo described the current situation as “serious”, referring that it is an “exponential growth of the pandemic” with the number of cases “doubling weekly”, and that “today everyone resents the presence” of the new coronavirus covid- 19.
“The difference from March and April is that the virus is much closer to us: we know everyone who is in quarantine, who is infected or who is seriously ill. Everyone today resents the presence of this virus, “he said. Croo.
The prime minister also stressed that the next few days will continue to be “very difficult” in terms of numbers.
“It is important to draw attention: in the coming days, the news will continue to be bad,” said De Croo.
“Without health there is no freedom; without health there is no happiness; without health there is no life. Today, we all have to take a step back so that tomorrow we can take a step forward together ”, concluded the first. Belgian administration.
According to data published today, between October 6 and 12, Belgium registered a daily average of 5,976 new infections, an increase of 96% compared to the previous week, for a total of 191,959 cases since the start of the pandemic and a balance. of 10,327 deaths.
The covid-19 pandemic has caused more than one million ninety-nine thousand deaths worldwide since December last year, including 2,149 in Portugal.
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