Slight drop in coronavirus deaths in Belgium

BRUSSELS

Over 1,600 new coronavirus infections and 268 deaths were reported in Belgium over the past 24 hours, down from 1,351 new cases and 327 deaths the previous day, health authorities announced on Sunday.

According to the latest data published by the research center Sciensano, 29,647 patients have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and 3,600 people have lost their lives since the outbreak of the virus.

A total of 392 patients were taken to hospital on Saturday, while 477 were able to leave healthcare facilities after tests confirming their recovery from coronavirus.

Currently, 5,353 patients are being treated in hospital, while 6,463 people have recovered from the virus since mid-March.

Business bailout

The federal government led by Sophie de Wilmes on Saturday announced a €50 billion ($55 billion) package to help the businesses most affected by the economic fallout.

The government will grant credit guarantee for firms in need to extend their loans at banks.

Workers in crucial sectors like retail and healthcare will also be exempted from income taxes on overtime up to 220 extra hours.

The government also decided on measures to facilitate recruiting recently unemployed seasonal workers for the agriculture and food industry.

The initiative is particularly important for the sector, which has relied on foreign workers in previous years and foresees a labor shortage due to travel bans.

Riot in Brussels

Forty-five people were arrested on Sunday in Anderlecht, an outer district of Brussels, after a demonstration ended in violent clashes with the police.

Such public gatherings are banned under coronavirus restrictions.

The crowd was mainly made of young people protesting in memory of a 19-year-old who fled police while illegally riding a scooter on Friday and accidentally crashed into a police car chasing him.

Since appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.

Nearly 1.8 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with over 110,000 deaths.