Social minefield for Belgians as they pick four lockdown buddies

BELGIANS have been told to pick four relatives or friends who will be allowed to visit them at home, as the country prepares to further ease its coronavirus lockdown. The edict is ripe with potential for social embarrassment and the brewing of simmering resentments, as citizens make their selections − which they cannot change. But the reunions are likely to be surreal affairs as social distancing measures must still be observed.

The “buddy system”, which comes into force eight days earlier than planned, on Belgium’s Mothering Sunday, will be hard to enforce. But Sophie Wilmes, the prime minister, told people they must respect the rule or risk a return to the stricter lockdown measures and a second wave of infection.

She also confirmed all shops will reopen on Monday but under strict social-distancing restrictions.

At the beginning of the week Brussels authorised people to walk with a second person when outdoors but Ms Wilmes said “that was not enough for many citizens and the physical distance from those we love is, in some cases, unbearable”.

Ms Wilmes, who heads a temporary emergency government, was criticised after lockdown measures were badly delayed by infighting between Dutch and French-speaking regions. “That is really the maximum that we can do and we do it with a scared heart,” said virologist Marc Van Ranst, who has become a familiar face at the daily televised coronavirus briefings.

The four-person limit is meant to make it easier to track and trace any fresh outbursts of infection.

Belgium is planning to hire 2,000 call-centre “corona detectives” rather than rely on a phone tracing app, which the authorities don’t believe enough people will download to make it useful.

Belgium, which has a population of 11.5million, has the highest per capita death rate from coronavirus in the world which has been put down to its meticulous reporting system.

The country has recorded 50,781 cases and 8, 415 deaths.