Telework should still be encouraged as much as possible in Phase 4 of Belgium's exit plan, according to virologist Marc Van Ranst.
When Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès detailed the decisions taken by the National Security Council on Wednesday, she did not say anything about going back to the office.
"Teleworking should still be encouraged," tweeted Van Ranst, who is a part of the Group of Experts for the Exit Strategy (GEES). "When we look at the amount of traffic, we unfortunately see that teleworking seems to have almost disappeared. That is disappointing," he added.
Telewerk moet nog altijd aangemoedigd blijven. Wanneer we de verkeersdrukte bekijken zien we spijtig genoeg dat telewerk bijna verdwenen lijkt. Dat is teleurstellend. pic.twitter.com/QdTyP0kmUy
— Marc Van Ranst (@vanranstmarc) June 25, 2020
A graph by the Flemish traffic centre, which Van Ranst added to his tweet, shows that car traffic on Flemish motorways has gradually increased since the end of April, and has almost reached the levels from before the lockdown again.
"Teleworking = fewer contacts = less transmission of viruses," Van Ranst said. "Traffic density is a surrogate marker for the intensity of telework," he added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
