Anyone who returns to Belgium from a red zone must go to quarantine and be tested for the corona virus on day 1 and day 7, at least that is the theory that the government decided at the end of December. From figures that health institute sciensano published last Friday, it now appears that almost 30.000 Belgians have already flouted the test obligation. Despite the falling number of deaths, Belgium has experienced a 14% increase in the number of new corona infections in the last 12 days. Travelers from the Brussels Region and the province of Flemish Brabant in particular seem to have little interest in the mandatory test.
The shocking numbers of travelers who did not have themselves tested are certainly an underestimate and only relate to people who completed the so-called Passenger Locator Form (PLF) on their return. People who did not have themselves tested still risk a fine of 250 euros. The reproduction rate of the coronavirus has risen above 1 again for the first time since December. Sciensano nuances the importance of that figure published daily. This is because only those people who are admitted to hospitals are taken into account when calculating the daily published figure.
“In Flanders, this increase is linked to more infections in children, which can mainly be explained by an increase in tests in that target group. We certainly see that in Limburg. But in Limburg we are already seeing an increase in the entire population, with an increase of 38%. Sint-Truiden and Hamont-Achel certainly catch the eye, ”said Yves Van Laethem, the French-speaking spokesman.
In the group of children under the age of 10, Sciensano sees more than a doubling (128%) of the number of cases in one week, as a result of the increased testing in schools. In teenagers an increase of 43%. But most outbreaks still take place in residential care centers. The share of the British variant in the total number of infections continues to rise, Van Laethem confirms.
On April 1, 2020, Sciensano made the collected data about the Covid-19 epidemic accessible to everyone. All data can be consulted via one dynamic dashboard on the Epistat website. The dynamic dashboard contains the data on the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, and hospital admission deaths by region, age and gender. The data is updated every day at noon. The graphs present the current situation in a simple way.
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