Global Covid report: Belgium facing new lockdown as Germany takes in patients

Deaths doubling every six days in Belgium despite already tough restrictions

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Belgium was in-effect put into a second national lockdown on Friday as scientists and officials directing efforts to control coronavirus said the government's already tough restrictions were failing to work and that deaths were doubling every six days.

Belgium's prime minister, Alexander de Croo, said the government had no choice but to move into a stricter lockdown". Our country is in a health emergency," he said. The pressure on hospitals is immense, our care providers are making inhuman efforts. In the past week, 100,000 of our fellow countrymen were infected, we do not see any change ... We are moving to a stricter lockdown."