Belgium is lagging on preparations that are “critical to minimize [the] risk for a second wave” of coronavirus, according to advice given to the government ahead of a meeting last week and made public Monday.
Belgium on Monday entered the third phase of its exit strategy, reopening bars and restaurants and allowing everyone to have close contact with 10 other people per week. The strategy to limit a fresh outbreak centers on testing and tracing anyone that may have been infected, and stepping in to manage “emerging clusters of cases” when needed.
But in the report, delivered ahead of the government’s announcement of its plans June 3, the Group of Experts on the Exit Strategy (GEES) warned that “these two lines of defence still require the persisting strong attention and action of the government.”
Improvement on testing and contact tracing has been slow, and the plan for virus resurgence management “is still in a very conceptual phase,” the experts wrote. “In addition, an action plan needs to be further developed to determine measures in case a second wave would occur.”
A number of recommended measures to prevent a resurgence had not been followed up on as of last week, the report highlighted. That includes raising the number of health workers, with experts noting there was no “further mobilization of resources in place” as of June 3.
The experts also raised red flags over the government’s failure to issue simplified guidelines for outbreaks in communal spaces such as schools or stores.
Other recommendations including efforts to “confirm the overall set-up and responsibilities of virus resurgence management” got a milder “orange” status.
The Belgian government published the expert panel’s reports following criticism of a lack of transparency around its coronavirus policies.