26 March 2021: Driving compliance becomes more and more challenging…

26 March 2021: On average during the last seven-day observation period, the week to 22 March, 4,331new cases of coronavirus were confirmed each day.  The figure is up 32% on the week. For the second day in a row the pace of increase in no longer rising. That said, 2,452 patients are currently in hospital of which 637 are in intensive care. The latter has doubled in just over a month. Whilst people are fighting for their lives in hospital and healthcare professionals have to work flat out to treat patients that have been infected by the virus, opposition parties are challenging the government’s decision to implement stricter rules to curb the spread of the virus. Using the pandemic for political gain is a slap in the face to all those who stick to the rules, it continues to undermine the credibility of politicians and it makes driving compliance to the rules more and more challenging. Talking about compliance… Yesterday, I went to have a look at the St Peter’s Square after the police clashed with partying students on the square earlier this week. Although police patrols were reinforced it was still very busy on the square. Let’s hope that this will not result in more infections and a prolonged lockdown period – Ghent, Belgium.