Brussels 22.09.2020 The president of the European Council Charles Michel has been informed today that one of security officers, with whom he had “close” contact early last week, tested positive for COVID-19. Respecting Belgian sanitary rules, he has to respect quarantine for two weeks from today onward, although the president has been passing tests regularity, and was tested negative yesterday, his spokesperson said.

The Belgium National Security Council is set to meet on September 23 to discuss the COVID-19 measures in the face of fast-rising infection rates. Infections are particularly noticeable in younger age groups than was registered in the spring. Last week an average 45 people a day were hospitalised due to complications from the virus. In the seven day period previous to that, the figure was 30 patients per day. It has been more than a month since the last Security Council meeting, which, according to Geert Meyfroidt, a professor in intensive care at KU Leuven, is too long. “You cannot go a month without meeting and taking decisions,” he told Radio 1. “The timing of measures is as crucial as the measures themselves.”

President Michel has decided to postpone the special European Council meeting that was scheduled for 24 and 25 September to 1 and 2 October #EUCO.