Belgium braces for another surge in COVID-19 cases

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s government is warning that the country could well be on the cusp of another major surge in COVID-19 cases despite its high vaccination rate. Though the government recently relaxed the mandatory use of facemasks, it is again starting to encourage the population to use them. This is to counter an increase in cases reminiscent of the first three surges of the past 1 1/2 years. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke says that “we will see a major increase in infections and, unfortunately, hospital admissions.”