15 April 2021: Belgium announces a “cautious” relaxation strategy…

15 April 2021: Between 5 and 11 April 3,435 new cases were reported each day on average, 19 percent less than the week before that. 3,127 patients are currently in hospital with Covid.  945 are in intensive care, the highest level since the UK variant hit our shores. 

Despite the fact that the pressure on hospitals remains extremely high, and that of all the patients who are admitted, about one-third of them go on to intensive care, the government announced yesterday a strategy for relaxation of the coronavirus-fighting measures. 

• From Monday 19 April, schools will reopen but pupils in the second and third grades of secondary education (aged 15-18) will only be able to physically attend school half-time, with half-time distance learning still in place. Also, the ban on non-essential travel to and from Belgium will be lifted. Travelers returning from a red zone will still have to quarantine and will be required to get tested on day 1 and 7 of their return. 
• From Monday 26 April, non-essential shops and non-medical contact professions can reopen fully again and our “outdoor bubble,” will be increased from four to ten people.
• The next two milestones will be based on the progress of the vaccination campaign. The first milestone is when seven out of ten people over 65 years old will have received their first vaccine dose, and two to three weeks will have seen the optimal effect on their immune system. This is expected around 8 May. From then on, the terraces of the hospitality sector will be able to reopen, and customers can be served outside. The same day, the curfew will be lifted.
• The second milestone will be when almost all over-65s and vulnerable people have been vaccinated. This is expected in early June. From then on, events will again be possible and more will also be possible indoors. 

Net-net, a very ambitious plan that triggered mixed reactions. Subject experts would have preferred a more cautious plan with relaxation dates pegged to thresholds that take account of the number infections and bed occupancy whilst others would have preferred a more aggressive deconfinement strategy. 
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On display today is another vignette of Ghent during this unprecedented crisis – Ghent, Belgium.