Belgium, easing quarantine measures... mandates indoor masks amid surge in confirmed cases

The Belgian government, which had been easing COVID-19 prevention measures, has recently strengthened its measures by reintroducing mandatory indoor mask-wearing and recommending remote work as confirmed cases began to surge again.

According to the Brussels Times on the 27th (local time), Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced this after a government council meeting the previous day, stating that COVID-19 infections increased by 70% last week. He said, "We are witnessing an autumn wave after a plateau in our country and others."

Belgium began gradually easing lockdowns from this summer. As the number of confirmed cases and hospitalizations decreased and vaccination rates increased, many restrictions such as mandatory mask-wearing inside stores and nightclub operation regulations were further relaxed earlier this month.

The use of the 'COVID Safe Ticket' (CST) was also expanded. The CST is a certificate showing that a person has completed COVID-19 vaccination, tested negative, or recovered after a positive test.

However, according to the Belgian government's decision on this day, from the 29th, mask-wearing will again be mandatory in indoor public places such as stores, shopping centers, medical institutions, concert halls, sports centers, libraries, and places of worship. Masks are not required where the CST is used.

However, the Brussels-Capital Region and the French-speaking southern Walloon region have not eased indoor mask-wearing regulations so far, and the CST application has already been expanded or is planned to be expanded from next month. The region where this measure will have a practical impact is the Dutch-speaking northern Flanders region.

The Belgian government also strongly recommends returning to remote work whenever possible.

According to the international statistics site 'Worldometer,' Belgium had about 1,500 to 3,000 new daily confirmed cases last month, but the number surged to 6,682 on the 23rd of this month. On the 27th, it recorded 5,745 cases.

In Denmark, which effectively lifted all COVID-19 restrictions on September 10th, confirmed cases have also recently increased significantly. The number has risen sharply compared to early September, when it was declining between 500 and 800 cases.