Stricter measures than the ones the National Security Council took on Monday cannot be ruled out if the figures continue to evolve in the wrong direction, according to Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès.
Another full lockdown is not ruled out, according to Wilmès, but she stressed that these strict measures have now been taken to avoid this scenario at all costs.
"The measures are very strict now, but we will see the figures go up," Wilmès told VRT. "We must have patience and courage. If we see that things are going completely in the wrong direction, the measures can always be tightened up again. But that is definitely not the intention. We have gone to great lengths to make sure it will not come to that," she added.
"These measures have to be respected by people of all ages, and in all situations," Wilmès said, adding that the spirit always remains the same: if we limit our contacts, we limit the risks.
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"By taking steps to avoid a situation of total lockdown, it means, by definition, that we are not ruling it out," Wilmès said during the press conference.
Stricter measures such as for example a lockdown, however, could still be taken over the course of the next four weeks if the situation calls for them.
Virologist Marc Van Ranst is satisfied with the new measures. "We have one chance to avoid a general lockdown, and then you have to do it strongly," he told VRT. "It is going to take a while before we see the effects. The infections will increase for another two weeks. Only then will the tide turn," he added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
