A Belgian bus driver has been quarantined for 14 days after he was bitten by a would-be passenger who he had asked to wear a mask.
The man - who was not wearing his face mask correctly when he boarded the bus - was warned by the driver that he was not following the safety measures of Belgium's public transport, HLN reported late Tuesday. Under the rules, passengers are required to wear a face mask both on the bus and while waiting at the bus stop.
Following the dispute, the man got off and walked to the front of the bus. “Once there, he started a discussion with the bus driver and damaged the bus’s side mirror. When the bus driver tried to calm him down, the driver was injured,” the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Ghent stated.
Bus service De Lijn confirmed that the man bit the bus driver in the arm, and allegedly tried to use a walker to hit the victim.
“Our bus driver then needed to visit a doctor right away,” Loos stated. “The physician called this a high-risk incident because it involved saliva. The bus driver will need to go into quarantine and will be tested for corona.”
The Public Prosecutor’s Office summoned the man shortly after the incident. He will appear in court on 22 October.
Amée Zoutberg
The Brussels Times
