Allowing people to receive up to four guests in their home from Sunday was decided because it is a manageable number, according to Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
From Sunday, people will be allowed to receive up to four people, always the same ones, in their homes. "If we are asking for four, we have a good reason," De Croo told RTBF on Thursday, making it clear that Belgium's National Security Council on Wednesday did not pick the number of four people just to pick a number.
"If we had said six instead of four, it would have a multiplying effect. We have established this [number] with the experts and their models," De Croo said, adding that "four people is manageable."
“Meeting four people is the maximum, and we are a little scared to do it,” virologist Marc Van Ranst told VRT News on Wednesday. “Over the past weeks and months, our population has reacted with a great deal of responsibility to the coronavirus measures and as a result, the curve has gone down. This is to everyone’s credit, and it makes us dare to take this step,” he added.
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"Are we going to ask the police to come and check your home if it is four or five people that are visiting? No," De Croo said. Police checks for non-essential journeys will also be reduced, as it will become almost impossible to verify if someone is visiting one of the four people they are allowed to see.
However, the authorities are counting on the sense of responsibility of citizens, which has been demonstrated so far, according to De Croo.
Additionally, even during these visits by relatives, "the rules of social distancing remain valid. This is not the time to hug each other," he said.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
