An empty terrace in the historical center of Antwerp, Belgium, Sunday, October 18. Bars and restaurants across Belgium shut down for a month and a night-time curfew took effect Monday as health authorities warned of a possible “tsunami” of new virus cases in the hard-hit nation that host the headquarters of the European Union. The new surge of coronavirus cases has already prompted several hospitals to delay nonessential operations to focus on treating coronavirus patients. “We are really very close to a tsunami,” Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke told broadcaster RTL. Van Laethem said the country’s true epidemiological situation could be even worse, given current delays in the publication of test results.

Source: The Standard October 19, 2020 14:46 UTC