2 May 2021: Postcard greetings from Ghent under a semi-lockdown…

2 May 2021: The daily number of hospitalisations has dipped below 200 per day. The total number of patients in our hospitals is 2,707 of which 854 are staying in intensive care. On average during the last seven-day observation period, the week to 28 April, 3,121 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed each day. The figure is down 14% on the week. The reproduction rate continues to stand at 0,89. In summary, the epidemic is shrinking but the pressure on our hospitals remains high. Meanwhile, protest against the measures to curb the spread of the virus and civil disobedience is increasing. In Brussels the police had to use its water cannons to evacuate crowds from Bois de la Cambre, our capital’s largest park, to stop “La Boum 2” an unauthorized party and in Middelkerke, a Belgian sea resort, the mayor reopened ‘terraces’ one week earlier through a legal loophole. In short, striking the right balance between saving lives from coronavirus, and driving compliance to the measures is going to be the challenge for the weeks to come. Today, I’m sending you some postcard greetings from Ghent under a semi-lockdown – Ghent, Belgium.