Travellers returning to Belgium from regions in northern Italy hit by the outbreak of the new coronavirus should be "extra vigilant," health authorities said.
"Authorities demand particular attention from travellers back from Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto," officials wrote in an online statement, referring to the three Italian regions the most hard-hit by the viral outbreak.
"People who have been in these regions should pay extra attention to symptoms such as fever, coughing or other flu-like symptoms and contact their doctors by phone if one of these symptoms manifests," the statement read.
The announcement was posted a day after the second confirmed infection of the new coronavirus, Covid-19, was reported in Antwerp, as authorities throughout Belgium braced for further infections to be reported.
"We expect that there will still be cases in the coming hours, our [labs] will run day and night to complete the tests, if someone tests positive, we will take action," Wouter Beke, Flemish minister of health, said in a radio interview.
On Monday, the third confirmed case of the virus was reported in Brussels, an unidentified person who had recently been in Milan, according to Walloon Health Minister Christie Morreale.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
