In a post-cabinet meeting press conference held Friday afternoon, prime minister Xavier Bettel (DP) said authorities were “left with no choice” but to take the decisions, given the recent rise in infections and the fact that “the virus is everywhere… in all four corners” of the grand duchy. The measures have been taken as the grand duchy had seen record figures over the last week, including yesterday’s announcement that 595 individuals had tested positive on Wednesday. 

The rule of four would apply not just in restaurants and bars but also at home. Competitve sporting events, apart from top divisions, will also be banned. For home gatherings, a maximum of plus four can be invited into a household. The number can only be exceeded if guests are all from the same household.

Masks are required both indoors and outdoors if 2-metre distancing cannot be maintained.

Tests from wastewater have indicated the virus had spread across the grand duchy, Bettel said.

The new measures will initially last for one month because, as health minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP) explained, “We need two to three weeks to estimate how the measures are working.” 

The new measures are an attempt to reduce the potential that the situation will worsen and, as such, Bettel said that the government would be drafting legislative texts over the weekend so that they could be adopted “as soon as possible”. But he said that there is no type of place or demographic that has been more affected than others, so trageting a particular sector would serve no purpose. (read our editorial on this here)

At the time of writing 86 patients in the grand duchy were being treated at hospital for covid-19 infections--10 of whom were in intensive care.

Hospitals and elderly homes have been suffering from staff shortages due to covid infections among personnel, but Lenert said authorities will soon meet with stakeholders in hospitals and the health sector to determine what specifically would be required if phase 3 were to be reached.