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🇧🇪 Belgium /Crime & Justice

Few visitors and canceled artisan market: petting zoo in Brasschaat suffers from STEC investigation

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Kinderboerderij Mikerf in Brasschaat faces significant visitor decline and cancellation of an artisan market due to an ongoing investigation into STEC bacteria infections in children.
  • Despite preventive measures and assurances from health authorities, public fear keeps visitors away, impacting the facility's operations and its work with individuals with barriers to employment.
  • The investigation into the source of the STEC infections, which has led to hospitalizations including intensive care, is expected to yield results by the end of the week or early next week.

Kinderboerderij Mikerf, a petting zoo in Brasschaat, is experiencing a severe drop in visitors and has been forced to cancel an upcoming artisan market. This comes as an investigation into STEC bacteria infections, which have sickened several children, continues. Some of these children required intensive care.

The facility is struggling to cope with the fallout. While vacation camps are still proceeding, individual visitors are avoiding Mikerf. "We are in a bind," said coordinator Eva Baets. "Our farm cafe only has two tables occupied. The rest is empty. Visitors are apparently still afraid of getting infected here." Baets emphasized that the Department of Health has assured them their implemented safety measures are sufficient, allowing visitors to come without risk.

We are in a bind. Our farm cafe only has two tables occupied. The rest is empty. Visitors are apparently still afraid of getting infected here. Yet, we have received assurances from the Department of Health that the measures we have taken are safe enough. People can therefore visit without running a risk of possible infection, if one could even contract it here.

— Eva Baets, coordinator MikerfEva Baets describes the current low visitor numbers and reassures the public about safety measures in place at the petting zoo.

The cancellation of the artisan market, originally scheduled for next Wednesday, has had a significant impact. Mikerf is a social enterprise that employs individuals with barriers to employment. The current situation has affected their morale. "They do brilliant work, but with everything going on, they don't feel entirely okay," Baets stated.

Furthermore, Mikerf's production of milk products for sale has slowed. Many products, like quark and yogurt, have a short shelf life of about two weeks, while rice pudding lasts only a week. Ice cream can be frozen, but sales depend on visitor numbers, which are currently critically low. The results of the investigation into the STEC bacteria's source, which is exploring multiple possibilities including food, are expected by the end of this week or early next week.

They do brilliant work but due to everything that is going on, they don't feel entirely okay.

— Eva Baets, coordinator MikerfEva Baets explains the emotional impact of the situation on the employees of the social enterprise.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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