Brussels lockdown: How is city affected by terror
threat?
Brussels
is under lockdown for a fourth consecutive day, and on the highest state of alert
over fears of a Paris-style attack by the militant
Islamic State group.While
the suspected gunman from the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, remains at large,
much of the Belgian capital has come to a standstill.
Soldiers are patrolling the streets and the metro and local schools are staying
shut. But the authorities say normality will begin to return on Wednesday. Here
the BBC looks at how the lockdown is affecting different aspects of life in the
city.
Schools
Schools
and universities were closed for a second day on Tuesday under the strict
security measures. In a statement (in French), education officials said
all lessons would be suspended on the orders of Belgium's National Security
Council at nurseries, primary and
secondary schools. No children would be admitted. The Universite Libre de
Bruxelles (ULB) said it was cancelling classes and closing facilities including libraries, parks, and exhibition halls.
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel
advised all staff to work from home if they
could but said it aimed to resume normal
activity on Wednesday. Nadine Rosa-Rossa, a school teacher in the Molenbeek
district where anti-terror police have focused their operations, told the BBC's Newsday programme that she thought the measures were
"excessive"."It's like we
are in a war," she said. "It's not a good thing for the children, for
the teachers, for everybody." Others spoke of the disbelief that schools would re-open on Wednesday
when the main suspect was still at large and the terror alert at its highest. But
Brussels authorities say schools have not been cited as targets and the
government has instructed the schools to
take security measures such as creating safe rooms for children in the event of
an emergency. Some 300 police will help step up security when schools reopen on
Wednesday.
(5W1H)
Who: suspected gunman from
the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, Islamic
State group
Why: on the highest state of alert over fears of a Paris-style attack by the militant
Islamic
State group.
What:some
measures taken in response of terrorist attack
When:after
the day of terrorist attack
Where: Brussels
How: Locked down public places
and posted the police and soliders patrolling
around.
(Vocabulary)
1.
lockdown (n.) 高度警戒(區)、封鎖全境
2. consecutive (adj.)
連續的、連貫的
3. militant
(n.) 激進份子、好戰分子 (adj.) 激進的、好戰的
4. standstill
(n.) 停頓、停滯 (adj.) 停頓的、停滯的
5. nursery (n.) 幼兒園、托兒所
6. facility (n.) 設施
7. resume (v.)
重新開始
8. excessive (adj.) 過度的、過分的
9. disbelief (n.)
懷疑、不相信
10. instruct (v.)
指導、命令
(Info
resource): http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34900353
