Indian variant surfaces in West Flanders
Cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus have been confirmed for the first time in West Flanders. Six cases have been diagnosed in Ostend, Nieuwpoort, Knokke-Heist and Bruges.
A family of Ostenders picked up the virus travelling in India. Ostend mayor Bart Tommelein (Flemish liberal): “The family’s been back from India for a while. They had symptoms and quarantined. Yesterday there was confirmation it’s the Indian variant. The family has been in quarantine the whole while and have not been in contact with anybody”.
In the port town of Nieuwpoort a Nepali woman, whose family runs a night shop, has come down with the Indian variant. She had travelled to Nepal and brought it back from there. She became very ill and had to be hospitalised. Her husband has tested negative. Her two children have been kept out of school for two months now. The local mayor has meanwhile closed the night shop as a precaution.
The Care and Health Agency reports two further cases in Knokke-Heist and a further two in Bruges. The cases in Bruges are among people of Nepali-Pakistani heritage.