Doctors in Belgium are calling on members of large families to wear face masks at home as studies indicate Belgians are growing weary and skeptical of draconian coronavirus rules.
The Brussels Federation of General Practitioners (BHAK) is now urging increased ‘safety measures’ in households where multiple generations live together, saying masks should be worn at home to prevent transmission of COVID-19 to older family members.
“More young people now test positively,” Vincent Janssens, BHAK’s chairman, told Bruzz.
“If they won’t do it for society, then at least let them do it for the sake of their own families. This is a matter of confidence and civic spirit. Brussels does not yet have the power to make that happen.”
Janssens says repeated fines may not be effective, but stressed that “basic rules have to be explained in a way that will truly reach people. Using only the media to do that is insufficient. And pushing the message through sanctions will be ineffective.”
Meanwhile, surveys show a steep decline in support for coronavirus restrictions among Belgians.
Researchers at the University of Ghent determined just 35 percent of residents polled in Flanders are in favor of strict measures - down from 69 percent in mid-July and 81 percent in March, according to the Brussels Times.
“I think it is important that the population gets perspective, that the government concretely indicates where we want to go,” said University of Ghent professor Maarten Vansteenkiste. “People have the feeling that certain measures are too strict. Local authorities have become more controlling.”
“Take the face mask obligation. If you go for a walk with your dog, it has little virological value to wear a mask. But an effort is required. An effort that does not pay off. It costs us energy.”
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(PHOTO: BENOIT DOPPAGNE/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images)
Dan Lyman: Follow @CitizenAnalyst
