Since May, more people are systematically returning to their workplace, despite the government's recommendations to continue to work from home if possible, the results of the 17th edition of the Great Corona Study by the University of Antwerp show.
This can be partly explained by the increasing pressure from managers and senior management, according to the researchers.
Workplaces are better protected than they used to be, the survey shows, and the interviewees usually like to go back to work on-site themselves.
"However, we must not forget that the workplace is an important link in the transmission of infections," the researchers said. "The figures also show this: roughly 40% of the participants who tested positive for the coronavirus during the summer think they became infected at work."
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During Belgium's previous National Security Council in July, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès stressed the importance of teleworking, and "strongly recommended" it again, after the infection numbers rose sharply.
“It had always been recommended, but we noticed that it was being applied less and less, even though we know that it is one of the keys for a successful deconfinement,” Wilmès said.
The survey also showed that 80% of respondents choose not to shake hands or give a kiss in greeting to people who do not live under the same roof as them.
Additionally, the number of contacts that adults have shows a decreasing trend over time, especially among the group of 18 to 35-year-olds.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
