30 April 2020 Update from A Locked Down Ghent

Yesterday’s figures showed more hospitalizations, 174 versus 123 the day before, but fewer people in critical care. Also 170 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of fatalities to 7,501. Despite these less than optimal numbers the government confirmed that the first phase of the lifting of the lockdown measures will start as of 4 May. A study conducted by the University of Oxford demonstrated that almost half of all transmissions occurred before anyone showed symptoms. To start easing the lockdown restrictions as of 4 May more testing and effective contact tracing is mission critical. It is estimated that delaying contact tracing by even a day from the onset of symptoms could make the difference between epidemic control and coronavirus resurgence. Belgium is however lagging behind with reaching its testing goal and the planned manual contacting system will likely not be in place in time. Why has the recruitment of contract tracers been delayed? Why don’t we implement a simple mobile contact tracing app to help control the spread of coronavirus? This together with the suboptimal communication strategy of the government continue to frustrate a large part of the population. We never want a serious crisis go to waste, therefore, I hope that we will look at this disaster as an opportunity to significantly improve the future governance of our country -  Nieuwburgkaai, Ghent, Belgium