A Santa Claus visit to a nursing home in Belgium leaves 23 victims

The mayor of the Belgian city of Mall, in the province of Antwerp, said that the death toll from the Corona virus in a nursing home has risen to 23 in the past three weeks.

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The Belgian News Agency quoted the mayor as saying that “five other people who tested positive for the Coronavirus have died, and thus 23 people have died” in that nursing home.

Earlier, 125 inmates and employees at the house were reported to be infected with the Coronavirus, after the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day, which is being celebrated in Belgium on December 6.

The local authorities believe that the cause of the mass infection with the virus could be a volunteer who played the role of Saint Nicholas during the celebration, and brought traditional clothes and gifts to congratulate the residents of the house. A few days later, the volunteer underwent a corona test, which had tested positive for the virus.

However, the house pointed out and confirmed that the volunteer did not remove the medical mask and gloves the entire time he communicated with the residents of the elderly home. As for the gifts, the Foundation employees carried them to the guest rooms. Sources indicated that the volunteer often visited the nursing home.

Earlier, the media and a human rights organization accused the Belgian authorities of insufficient assistance to nursing homes, which bore the brunt of the first wave of the Corona virus. It is also reported that the majority of those who died in Belgium from the Coronavirus are over the age of 80.

The Belgian authorities were able to improve the situation significantly after a sharp decrease in cases of coronavirus, thanks to strict measures. Currently, 2.3 thousand new cases of COVID-19 are registered in the country daily. In October and early November, this number exceeded 20 thousand cases.

Authorities fear that the increased number of contacts during the holidays may lead to a new outbreak of COVID-19.

Source: Novosti

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