EPIDEMIC: Belgium exceeded the threshold of 75,000 people infected with coronavirus on Wednesday
Brussels is following in the footsteps of Paris and going even further by imposing, as of this Wednesday, the wearing of a mask in public spaces throughout the territory of the Brussels region. In total, the generalization of the obligation concerns the 19 municipalities of the region and is explained by the crossing of the threshold of 50 daily infections per 100,000 inhabitants (more than 600 new infections per day in this territory of approximately 1.2 million inhabitants), according to a press release.
“This Wednesday 12th August 2020, the incidence rate on the territory of Brussels reached the average of 50 cases of Covid-19 contamination per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 7 days”, he explained. The mask was already compulsory in most public places closed since July 11 for all people aged 12 and over.
Some exceptions
“Wearing a mask covering the nose and mouth is therefore now compulsory for any person aged 12 and over in public places and in private places accessible to the public throughout the territory of the Brussels Region. Capital ”, specified the regional government.
The obligation does not at this stage apply to the provinces of the other two regions of Belgium, Dutch-speaking Flanders (north) and French-speaking Wallonia (south). In Brussels, however, the regulations provide for exceptions.
Wearing a mask is not compulsory “when practising a sport, performing intensive physical work on public roads, and for people with a disability which does not allow them to wear a mask or a face shield ”, it is still indicated.
75,000 people infected
Belgium, a country of approximately 11.5 million inhabitants, passed the threshold of 75,000 people infected with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic (75,008) on Wednesday, a figure that has been on the rise again since July.
There were nearly 10,000 deaths (9,879 recorded on Tuesday), one of the highest death rates in the world. The count by the Belgian authorities is one of the most exhaustive in the world since deaths possibly linked to the virus are included, without this having been proven by a test.
