25 April 2020 Update from A Locked Down Ghent

A further 190 deaths have been reported. The total death toll currently stands at 6,679. 210 patients were admitted to hospital yesterday while 322 patients were discharged. There are current 4,355 people receiving treatment for COVID-19 in Belgian hospitals. This is 172 fewer than the day before. Our efforts are paying off! More good news was coming from Prime Minister Sophie Wimès. Wilmès announced the next stages in the lockdown measures. As of 4 May, there will be a gradual return to work whilst telework will remain the norm. Also, cycling or going for a walk as a group of three will be allowed. Public transport will resume its usual activities, but the use of face masks will become mandatory. Gatherings and meeting friends at home will remain prohibited. On 11 May all stores will reopen but jobs involving close contact, such as hairdressers, will not be able to start yet. The new “corona-look” is there to stay! On 18 May primary and secondary school will gradually re-open and on 8 June restaurants and cafes will gradually reopen. The transition between phases will be monitored and potentially adjusted/finetuned based on a number of criteria, including the spread of the virus, the number of hospital admissions and the saturation of intensive care beds. Also contact tracing has been put in place. Meaning, when people show symptoms of being infected, they should go to the doctor and be tested. When it turns out that they have the coronavirus, the data of who they have been in contact with for the past two weeks, will be passed on to a contact tracing center. Those people will then be contacted and if tested positive put in quarantine. We’re moving in the right direction, but we have a long period of transition ahead of us, before we will regain our freedoms and go back to "normal" life. Stay safe, stay healthy – Korenlei, Ghent, Belgium