On a per capita basis, Belgium has been the European country hardest hit by the coronavirus. With a population of 11.5 million, it registered over 66,000 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths. In fact, Belgium’s level of mortality of 860 deaths per million inhabitants is the highest in the world.
Belgium suppressed the first wave of the coronavirus by imposing a strict lockdown. By the beginning of the summer, it had radically reduced its infection rate. It restarted its economy. It reopened its borders to tourists in the middle of June.
In July, however, the infection rate began to rise again, with a