BRUSSELS, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Belgium will pause its plan to relax coronavirus-related restrictive measures as the number of infections continues to rise, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Friday.

"The relaxation measures that were planned for April such as the reopening of parks, cultural activities for example, cannot be done now," said De Croo.

Among the measures that have been postponed or changed, cultural events cannot be organized, even if held outdoors with a maximum of 50 people, wearing masks and respecting social distance, as was previously announced, the English newspaper Brussels Times reported.

Amusement parks will not be able to re-open their doors yet, and the practicing of amateur sports with 10 people will not be allowed to take place yet, the newspaper said.

The full-time return of the second grades of secondary schools has been postponed until after the Easter holidays, rather than from March 29, it said.

Curfews remain the same, between midnight and 5:00 a.m. in Flanders and Wallonia, and from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the Brussels-Capital Region, the newspaper said.

The prime minister also said that teleworking is not a luxury but an obligation "if we want to break this upward trend in infection rates."

As of Monday, an extensive screening campaign in private companies and the public sector will be launched for workers who can't telework, a decision made following a spike in new coronavirus cases.

To date, Belgium has recorded a total of 822,801 COVID-19 cases and 22,624 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries, including Belgium, with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 264 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 82 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain, and the United States, according to the latest information released by the World Health Organization. Enditem

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