29 May 2020 Update from A Semi-Locked Down Ghent

Yesterday’s figures reported 31 new deaths and 47 patients that have been hospitalised. The downward trend continues, however, the number of new infections was described as high. 257 people were told they were corona positive on Wednesday. Let’s hope this is the result of more testing and not an early sign that the country started relaxing the lockdown measures way too early. Interesting in yesterday’s news was that, Maggie De Block, the health minister, conceded that scientists, the WHO, the European Commission and politicians including herself underestimated the virus. She admitted that criteria people initially had to meet in order to qualify for a corona test now appear too strict, strategic reserves of equipment and drugs were not sufficient and that the government never invested much in preventative health care and contact tracing. Also comparing COVID-19 to a heavy bout of flu was a big mistake she confessed. I guess it takes a good crisis before you have all your ducks in a row. Things have been busy the last couple of days and my daily corona walks haven’t been all that high on my radar, therefore, I decided to post a picture that I took a couple of years ago – Klein Begijnhof, Ghent, Belgium