Brussels to strengthen coronavirus restrictions, PM urges city to act fast
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Bars and cafés in Brussels will have to close at 11 p.m. from Monday. This one of a new set of measures aimed at controlling the coronavirus outbreak, announced by local authorities on Saturday.
POLITICO reports that this rule does not apply to restaurants. the new rules also impose shops selling food or drink to close at 10 p.m.
Food consumption will be prohibited in open-air markets. A ban on gatherings of 10 or more people between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. remains, with extra controls to be put in place to ensure the rules are followed. The new measures will apply for three weeks, although an evaluation meeting is scheduled for October 6.
The Belgian Prime Minister said that Brussels needs to urgently implement stricter measures to keep up with the spread of the coronavirus in the region.
“Our country is still a yellow zone today, but we know that certain places – like Brussels – are no longer a yellow zone. And stricter measures need to be taken there,” she explained.
The only way to combat spread, according to Wilmès, is to ‘very quickly’ adopt new measures.
POLITICO adds that the news comes after a crisis meeting on Saturday with the city’s mayors, local governors and health authorities, Le Soir reported. The number of cases in the city is among the highest in the country with 2,353 new cases last week. With 110,976 cases of COVID-19 and 9,969 deaths, Belgium has one of the highest coronavirus mortality rates in Europe.
