Despite being one of the highest cumulative cases per 100,000 in Europe and a record number of hospital admissions, Belgium returned to a national lockdown late Sunday evening. The decision comes during a second wave of infections currently surging across the continent and prompting similar lockdowns in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

“Our country is in a state of emergency,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told reporters on Friday. “In many hospitals capacity has already been exceeded. We still do not see a change [in the numbers]. There is only one answer, one choice, and that is standing behind our healthcare sector. The only way to do that is to avoid all physical contact as much as possible.”

But even De Croo’s plea to avoid physical contact has some exceptions. Under the new national measures, people in need of some physical intimacy are entitled to one “knuffelcontact” (literally “cuddle contact”), with people living alone allowed one extra cuddle buddy.[…]

Continue reading: Everyone Gets a Cuddle Buddy in Belgium’s New Lockdown