The Sunday Telegraph

CORONAVIRU­S DIARY BAD NEWS FOR BELGIAN NUDISTS

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Every week our correspond­ents will bring a taste of life on their patch during the coronaviru­s pandemic. This week James Crisp writes from Brussels.

Monday

Nine weeks since lockdown, and Belgian households can now welcome up to four visitors, but they must always be the same four. It is a social minefield. We rapidly secure a couple with a little girl the same age as our son. We have one slot left.

Tuesday

At the European Commission’s midday press briefing, chief spokesman Eric Mamer asks journalist­s to turn their webcams on when asking a question. When my turn comes, Eric exclaims, “James! You need a haircut!”. This is undeniable but, with hairdresse­rs not expected to reopen until next week, unavoidabl­e. Shops have reopened this week under strict conditions.

Wednesday

We venture out to meet our bubble buddies. Cafes are closed, but you can always rely on the Belgians when it comes to frites. I am served by a fryer in mask and gloves. The supermarke­t behind me has a decontamin­ation stall for customers outside its entrance. We go to a nearby park and eat the frites sitting on the grass as the kids run around. We respect the

1.5 metre rule. It is a refreshing taste of normality.

Thursday

The weather forecast is good, but playground­s remain closed and the local park is still policed by officers, who fly drones that bark orders in French, Dutch and English. The pétanque players have returned to the public court but the football pitch stays closed. Museums could reopen next week. Access to my son’s beloved dinosaur museum will be a lifesaver if the rain returns. His teacher emails to ask when I can collect his belongings. I take this as a sign that his school, the level below primary, won’t reopen before September.

Friday

Belgium’s only nudist beach has been shut down, leading to accusation­s that “moralists” were exploiting the pandemic. The stretch will be needed to create extra space for socially distanced, and more clothed, sunbathers. My day is dominated by Brexit.

The UK-EU negotiatio­ns are going extremely badly. It is just like old times.

Saturday

Bars and restaurant­s were the first to close, and look to be the last to leave lockdown. It is now reported that one in three will never reopen. Belgium, which is rightly famous for its beer, is drinking far less of the stuff Local breweries have taken to delivering crates of beer directly to customers. The news broke this afternoon that more than 9,000 people had died of coronaviru­s since the pandemic hit Belgium, helping cement the country’s place as having the highest per-capita death rate in the world.

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