How Belgium’s second lockdown became a Covid-19 success

In contrast to the UK, consistent restrictions and cautious communication have led infection rates to plummet.

Belgium's newly elected prime minister, Alexander De Croo (right), has presided over a fall in Covid-19 infections (Photo By JONAS ROOSENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

In October the world watched in alarm as Belgium’s Covid-19 cases grew out of control. The small country had the highest rate of infections in Europe, and hospitals were being overwhelmed. A series of contradictory new restrictions put in place by Belgium’s three federal regions were driving people to exasperation. “We’ve lost control,” the Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbroucke admitted.

But then the country’s new prime minister, Alexander De Croo, stepped in. He abandoned the regional approach and announced a second national lockdown on 30 October, closing down everything except essential stores, banning all home gatherings, mandating face masks and establishing night time curfews. These second lockdown conditions have since remained in place, almost entirely unchanged.