BRUSSELS (AP) — Wearing a face mask will become mandatory on Saturday in Belgian shops, cinemas, entertainment venues and other indoor spaces.
The Belgian government said the decision was made after a meeting of politicians and experts in charge of the lockdown exit strategy who decided to follow recommendations issued by the Health Ministry's scientific advisory body.
The compulsory use of masks already implemented on public transportation will be extended to conference centers, places of worships, museums and libraries.
Masks remain optional for children younger than 12 in all circumstances.
The government said places that won't respect the decision could be shut down, and Belgian residents who won't follow the new guidelines will face penalties.
Belgium has been hard hit by the pandemic, with 9,781 deaths recorded in the small country of 11 million inhabitants. The number of infections, however, has nosedived over the past two months, with about 85 new cases recorded every day over the past week.
Here are more coronavirus reports from around the world.
Tokyo has found 243 new cases of the coronavirus, surpassing 200 for a second day in a row and setting a new record.
The numbers reported Friday are fueling concerns about the spread of infections in the Japanese capital, where people are encouraged to pursue social and economic activity while taking safety precautions.
Friday's record daily increase exceeds the 224 reported the day before, which was the highest since April 17, when Japan was under a state of emergency that ended in late May.
Businesses have largely returned to usual and people are now commuting on packed trains again. The number of daily cases in Tokyo started rising in late June.
In London, the British government removed Serbia from the list of countries from which people arriving back to England can avoid a 14-day quarantine.
The government said Serbia has been removed because of a recent spike in coronavirus infections that's seen the country reimpose a number of lockdown restrictions.
Serbia was originally on the list of 76 countries and territories exempted from quarantine. The list includes popular destinations such as France, Greece, Italy and Spain, but not the United States, which is still considered high-risk.
Scotland's list of countries is slightly different to that for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It still requires people from Spain to quarantine, for example.
The travel industry is hoping that the new rules will help them salvage part of the summer holiday booking season that has been battered by the pandemic.
In Colombo, Sri Lanka 196 more coronavirus cases were confirmed at a rehabilitation center for drug addicts.
The numbers announced by the government Friday take the total at the center to 252.
The number of infections found in the past two days are the highest in months. Though all have been in known clusters, there are fears of a spillover into the broader community.
Sri Lanka has reported 2,350 coronavirus cases so far with 11 deaths.
In New Delhi, India reported another record one-day spike in coronavirus cases, prompting some states to reimpose lockdowns in high-risk areas.
The 26,506 cases reported Friday bring India's total to 793,802 infections. The Health Ministry also reported another 475 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 21,604.
The ministry said the recovery rate was continuing to improve, at more than 60%.
The eastern state of Bihar reimposed a full lockdown in the state capital Patna and four other districts for a week beginning Friday to curb a surge in cases.
India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, with nearly 230 million people, announced a weekend lockdown beginning Friday night. All private shops and businesses across the state will remain closed except pharmacies and shops selling groceries, milk and produce.