The coronavirus, which emerged in December 2019 and spread all over the world in a short time, still causes thousands of people to die every day. Although the number of coronavirus cases and the number of deaths were somewhat under control with the start of vaccination all over the world in the spring and summer of 2021, the comfort brought by the vaccine caused the old measures to come back in some countries.
One of these countries was Belgium. Belgium, which abolished the social distance rule on September 1, no longer applied the mask requirement and lifted the ban on collective activities, took a new decision after two and a half months. After increasing coronavirus cases, the country will now make mask mandatory from a younger age.
The old measures have partially returned:
From Saturday 20 November, everyone over the age of 10 in Belgium will have to wear a mouth mask in indoor and outdoor public spaces. Previously, the mask requirement covered people over the age of 12. In addition, food, beverage and entertainment venues will not be able to enter without a COVID certificate and mask, and it will be mandatory to comply with the 1.5-meter social distance rule. In addition, working from home as much as possible will become mandatory in the public and private sectors.
According to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, 9 out of 10 people in the country have been vaccinated. He also stated that there is no need for a new campaign to promote the vaccine. Despite the vaccination rate, Belgium is among the countries with the highest number of deaths from COVID-19 compared to the population in Europe. The country announced that it will reduce the vaccination age to 5-11 years old with the new mask requirement.
The new measures, which will be valid until at least January 28, 2022, do not include a decision to close any sector. The Belgian Prime Minister announced that the new measures were introduced because the virus, which is currently spreading, is 3 times stronger and more contagious than the previous one.
In Belgium, which has a population of approximately 11.5 million, the number of daily cases approached 12,500 on average.
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