COVID-19 selected news snippets for Tuesday, 21 April 2020.
Sciensano update of 21 April. 973 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Belgium over the past 24 hours of which 60 (6%) were in Brussels. To date, a total of 30 956 confirmed cases have been reported in Belgium with 4 169 (10%) cases located in Brussels.
In the past 24 hours, 172 patients with COVID-19 have been hospitalised and 107 people left hospital. Between 15 March and 20 April, a total of 13 534 patients with COVID-19 have entered hospital and 9 002 people have left.
170 new deaths from COVID-19 in Belgium have been reported in the past 24 hours of which 28 (16%) were in Brussels. To date, a total of 5 998 deaths from the disease have been reported in Belgium of which 942 (16%) were in Brussels.
Read the full daily report (in French) here.
An important question in the discussion about the reopening of schools is the role children play in the spread of the virus. Based on what is happening in other countries, it appears that children are not the driving force behind the epidemic, says epidemiologist Pierre Van Damme of the University of Antwerp. Yves Van Laethem from CHU Saint-Pierre in Brussels also implies that children might be less contagious than thought at the start. This is important in guiding how the return to school is managed.
A dozen families of COVID-19 victims have already asked for a lawyer to start a civil case against the Belgian State for its management of the crisis. Brussels lawyer Hamid El Abouti is studying the possibility of taking collective action involving civil liability of the State
The Ministry of Defence is assisting at ten residential care centres in Belgium.
From 30 April, the Leuven city council will provide every resident from the age of 12 with a free, washable mouth mask.
After McDonald's, Quick and Burger King also announced a reopening of their drive-ins. From Thursday (23 April) it will be possible to pick up meals by car at 40 places, a third of the total network in Belgium.
In Brussels pedestrians and cyclists will have priority and will be able to circulate on the roads. The speed of cars, trams and buses will be limited to only 20 km / h. The Woluwepark in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre will be completely car-free from today (Tuesday 21 April).
The local police of the Brussels Capital / Ixelles are noticing ‘quarantine fatigue’. They issued 400 police reports last weekend against persons who did not comply with the quarantine measures.
The next National Security Council meeting is on Friday (24 April) should give more clarity for couples with wedding plans and other mass events.
Brussels recycling parks are open in case of emergency or absolute necessity.
Bpost will prioritise the latest packages received. Due to the high volume of packages and the security measures in place, delays have accumulated in their delivery system.
Useful Links
Federal Government COVID-19 information
The Bulletin's COVID-19 webpage (updated daily)
