BRUSSELS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Belgium began its first phase of deconfinement on Monday as the Belgian health institute Sciensano confirmed that the spread of the virus in the country is decreasing with a COVID-19 reproduction rate of 0.6 over the past 24 hours.
With the reproduction rate of 0.6, an infected person infects less than one person now, unlike the rate of 2 to 3 at the beginning of the epidemic.
Fifty-nine new hospital admissions have been recorded in the past 24 hours, a decrease of 18 patients compared to May 2, bringing the total hospitalized to 3,044. Intensive care units registered 655 patients, a drop of 20. At the same time, 361 new cases have been confirmed, 28 fewer than the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 50,267.
Belgium saw 80 new deaths in the past 24 hours, raising the total toll to 7,924.
The first phase of deconfinement (phase 1A) begins on Monday. One of the first measures announced by Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes is the compulsory mask wearing on public transport for everyone aged over 12. The government will provide at least one mask free of charge for each citizen.
The main change is in the economic sector, with the authorization to resume all so-called "B2B" activities, namely those between companies. About 150,000 people are expected to return to work across all sectors except for restaurants, shops, events and tourism, according to figures from the Flemish employers' organisation Voka on Sunday.
Teleworking remains the norm. Fabric shops are allowed to open to provide fabric for masks. Gatherings and meetings between friends at home remain prohibited.
During phase 1B which will start on May 11, all shops are allowed to reopen under very strict conditions. The second phase would start on May 18 with the gradual reopening of schools.
The third phase will start on June 8 at the earliest, with the gradual reopening of restaurants.
