Belgian governments have decided that children from the age of six must wear masks in all places where such a mask is already mandatory for older Belgians. Moreover, in secondary schools, at most half of the lessons can be conducted physically. Primary schools will be closed a week early, giving them three weeks of Christmas holidays.
Breathing
The big difference with the Netherlands is the use of CO2 meters in all categories. If the value exceeds 900 ppm, schools must ventilate more, with a value greater than 1,200 ppm, until students have to leave the classroom.
The Belgian counterpart of OMT had demanded stricter measures. For example, experts believed that it was necessary to introduce a ten-day “cooling-off period”. This means that schools and sports centers will be closed immediately.
But governments are now opting for other strong measures in education. It was a conscious decision not to close gyms and swimming pools. According to Prime Minister de Croo, it is good for people’s health that you continue to exercise.
HORECA
Remarkably, the advice to close restaurants and cafes at 8 pm was ignored. It seems that the senior ministers of our Burgundian neighbors to the south thought this was exaggerated. Mandatory closing time remains at 23:00. However, indoor events with large groups of people are prohibited. Studio100 has canceled Sinterklaas’ big shows with immediate effect.
“The fall wave is much heavier than expected. The pressure on our welfare has become unsustainable,” says de Croo. “We only have one task: to make adjustments.”
Although the aura numbers are still quite dramatic for now, there are cautiously encouraging signs. The Belgian institute RIVM believes that a peak has been reached in the number of new infections and hospitalizations. This effect does not always appear until later in the intensive care unit. The peak is expected next week, with between 850 and 1,000 patients. With 2,000 IC beds, Belgium has more capacity than the Netherlands, but due to sick staff, there are now at least 200 fewer beds available.
Vaccinate children between the ages of 5 and 12 years
Belgium has signed a deal with drugmaker Pfizer about 336,000 pediatric vaccines to be delivered this month. Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroek announced that 400,000 doses will be added in January. As far as it is concerned, 736,000 injections will be given to children between the ages of 5 and 11 as soon as possible to those who want them.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Pfizer/BioNTech’s pediatric vaccines on November 25. “It’s smaller doses and the composition is also a little different for people over 12,” Vandenbroucke says. He said the Belgian Health Council still had some steps to take before the vaccine could be implemented in Belgium.
reinforcement
The other good news is that Belgium is at the top of Europe with the boost campaign. On Friday, Belgium could already cross two million strikes. With the group of elderly and elderly people, the injection brigade, which includes many volunteers, is almost ready. Prime Minister De Croo expects to hit the magic 4 million stroke limit before the end of the year. The liberal thanked everyone who was vaccinated. And he spoke of a “solidarity action” that prevented many Corona patients and their deaths.
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