The Federal Minister for Public Health, Maggie De Block, was questioned by the federal parliament about the coronavirus on Tuesday and repeatedly stressed that sick people should stay in their homes.
From her experience as a general practitioner, she warned people to stay in their homes when they are sick. "Keep children who are sick but want to go to school at home. It is so important," De Block said (video).
"If you are sick, stay at home," De Block said. "Do not go to visit someone, and definitely do not think 'I will go and visit my mother or grandmother quickly'. Stay in your homes. I mean it. Stay at home," she said.
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She said that it was an important message to relay to the public every year again. "Whether it is for the flu, or another disease. Stay at home if you are sick," she said.
De Block's advice is fully in line with that of virologist Steven Van Gucht, who is the chairman of the scientific committee on the coronavirus. "If you are ill, you stay at home and do not seek contact with the elderly and chronically ill, whether it is the coronavirus or common flu," he said, reports Het Laatste Nieuws.
"If someone comes to visit you even though they were sick the day before, and they have a runny nose, kick them out," De Block added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
