CORONAVIRUS DIARY BAD NEWS FOR BELGIAN NUDISTS
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.