From Sunday, November 1, until December 13, Belgium will be in full quarantine. Authorities made the decision after a long meeting of more than 6 hours, which took place on Friday, October 30. Analyzing the figures of the last days, the Belgian officials decided to apply the general quarantine as a last answer to the 2nd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has announced new restrictions and strict measures aimed at stopping the spread of the new coronavirus. The number of deaths in Belgium doubles every 6 days.
Belgium is in full quarantine
"At the moment, there is only one solution and that is for all of us to support the healthcare sector as much as we can. We need to limit physical contact as much as possible, ”said Alexander De Croo.
Among the measures announced is the limitation of home visits. Each family will be able to receive a maximum of one person from outside the household, except for the only ones who can receive up to 2 people from outside the house.
Outdoor, meetings may continue with maximum 4 people, while respecting social distance and wearing face masks.
Non-essential stores will be closed, but pick-ups or home deliveries of pre-ordered products remain possible.
They will all be closed professions non-medical which requires close contact. This includes barbershops, massage centers, SPAs, etc.
Schools will remain closed until November 15. After this date, those from primary schools, first grade students and 50% of second and third grade students will return to class. Students and those in higher education will practice online school until the end of the year.
teleworking will be mandatory. If this is not possible, facial masks and physical distance are mandatory.
Restaurants, bars have been closed, and hotels will be able to stay open, but without serving food in specially designed areas.
The travel restrictions already in force remain the same: from midnight to 05:00 in Flanders and from 22:00 to 06:00 in Wallonia and the Brussels region.