Belgian PM warns of “long process of reconstruction”
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Belgium’s prime minister Sophie Wilmès has warned that “a long process of reconstruction” awaits the country once the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over.
In a video address to the nation released on Sunday evening, Belgium’s prime minister said the process of exiting the lockdown would be gradual.
She also repeated that the current restrictions on movement, which are due to end on 19 April, could be extended until 3 May. Urging people to “hold on” and respect social distancing rules, she warned of “very testing” times in the weeks to come.
Wilmès said that “unfortunately we know that after the peak of transmission comes hospitalisations and all too often, deaths. The announcements of the weeks to come will be again very testing, I fear. Despite this, more than ever, we must persevere.”
The eight-minute speech was released amid some hopeful signs the transmission of the virus is slowing.
For the first time since the start of the epidemic, more Coronavirus patients left hospital (504 people) than arrived (499), according to the latest data released on Sunday. The number of hospital admissions also appears to be reaching a plateau, with Sunday marking the fourth day of successive decline and a downward trend since peak admissions of 629 one week earlier.
Since the start of the epidemic, 19,691 cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Belgium and 1,447 people have died.
