Great Britain is considering a nationwide 10:00 PM curfew to stop the further spread of the coronavirus, as the measure worked to avoid a second wave in Belgium.
Ministers have been impressed by how the tough restrictions, such as the curfew across the entire Antwerp province, brought cases under control in Belgium, reports The Times.
In the English town of Bolton, stricter measures were imposed on Tuesday to stem a surge in coronavirus cases. The hospitality sector has been restricted to takeaway only, and a late-night restriction of operating hours has been imposed, requiring all venues to close between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM.
Measures being discussed by ministers to contain the new rise in cases included the extension of Bolton's curfew to the whole country, a senior government source told The Telegraph.
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Britain's Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said that several countries have "seen a rise in cases especially among younger people, taken action and that has turned the curve," adding that this was "particularly true in Belgium, which we were very worried about a month ago but the case rate has come right down when they put a curfew in place."
At the end of July, a curfew was introduced across the entire Belgian province of Antwerp, to contain a steady rise of coronavirus cases. It meant that all restaurants, bars, cafés and other establishments had to close their doors by 11:00 PM, and that people had to stay home from 11:30 PM to 6:00 AM.
As the number of infections began to decline some two weeks into the curfew, authorities shrank the curfew hours to from 1:30 AM to 5:00 AM, before lifting it completely in late-August.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
