Coronavirus infections are circulating at an increased pace in workplaces compared to in society in general in Belgium, a new report has shown.
Although schools remain the place where the virus circulates most, it is also circulating faster among the active working population, according to the findings from a report by the Leuven Catholic University and Idewe, an external service for prevention and protection at work, published by L'Echo.
The analysis of data from the national social security office (ONSS/RSZ) and the contact tracing centres showed that the fourteen-day incidence rate – mirroring the number of new cases – in the active working population is 2,369 new cases per 100,000 people, compared to 2,025 in the general population.
The highest incidences are mainly found in the sectors with many high-risk contacts and contacts with young people, such as education (2,739) and health care (2,667).
Due to the high rate of infection among these people, largely among the unvaccinated children under the age of 12, stricter measures have been imposed for schools and mandatory face masks have been introduced for children over the age of six.
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Analysing these sectors more closely, the report showed that the highest contamination levels were found in day-care centres (3,840) and residential care centres (3,016).
The rates of infection were also higher among people working in security services (2,644), beauty parlours (2,675), sports activities (2,922) and cafes and bars (2,642). Incidences in transport, hotels, commerce and most industrial sectors are more in line with those of the general working population.
