Belgium extends coronavirus lockdown

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - Belgium will prolong confinement measures until May 3, federal Prime Minister Sophie de Wilmes announced on Wednesday.

Lockdown measures should continue beyond the original April 19 deadline with basically the same conditions applied past month, Wilmes said after a National Security Council meeting.

People can only leave their homes to buy food and medicine, visit a doctor, help someone in need, or go to work, she said.

The government continues to encourage home office solutions, she added.

In addition to supermarkets and pharmacies, now gardening and do-it-yourself shops can be open, she said, while snack bars and restaurants remain available for takeaway.

People are allowed to take a walk outside with their family members from the same household, but they are required to keep a 1.5-meter (5-foot) distance from others, she said.

The government is keeping its policy of strict police fines for breaking the lockdown rules: €250 ($274) for a first violation, and €350 for a second.

Around 40% of deaths were seen in elder care homes, which raised serious concerns across the country.

But after having carried out as many as 11,000 tests in nursing homes, the government now will permit one family member in good health to visit their relatives, said Wilmes.

The government also decided to call off all major sport and cultural events and festivals until Aug. 31.

A total of 33,573 people in Belgium have been infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak, while 4,440 patients lost their lives.

Health authorities confirmed a decrease in hospitalizations this week.

Since appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.' Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.

More than 2 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with over 130,000 deaths, and more than half a million recovered.