French fries spared from coronavirus lockdown

BRUSSELS: Belgium’s national dish, fried potato sticks that many English speakers refer to as “French fries”, has escaped the country’s near lockdown over coronavirus, with vendors allowed to stay open while all cafes and restaurants have been forced to close.

The government ordered schools, bars, gyms and all sporting and cultural activities to close for three weeks from Saturday and curbed shop opening times to limit the spread of the disease.

But – as many Belgians noticed – the places selling fries have been spared, as long as you eat them elsewhere.

Fries are typically sold in paper cones from roadside shacks or trailers. There are some 5,000 of them in Belgium, making them some 10 times more common per capita than McDonald’s restaurants in the United States.

Belgium has sought to have Belgian potato fries and the culture around them recognised as global heritage alongside its beer-making tradition.

Many Belgians say the country invented fries and that U.S. troops stationed in the French-speaking part of Belgium during World War One mistakenly called them “French”.

Europe’s response to coronavirus

The European response to the virus has stepped up dramatically in the last 24 hours with several countries including France, Ireland and Belgium closing schools and universities.

Italy has imposed the continent’s toughest response to a pandemic that has killed 1,016 people and infected more than 15,000 in the peninsula in less than three weeks.

The government has shut all shops apart from pharmacies and groceries in the hope of stemming contagion and easing the burden on Italy’s overstretched hospitals.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that member states would receive “maximum flexibility” to boost spending beyond the legal limits, a promise that will also help France and Belgium, both chronic overspenders.