Belgium is implementing some of the strictest measures in Europe, outside Italy, to combat the spread of COVID-19 – with schools, cafes and restaurants all closing.

With Italy in lockdown and the World Health Organization calling for "urgent and aggressive action," Belgium is moving fast to try to stem the coronavirus outbreak.

Each country in the EU is implementing its own measures, with some more stringent than others. Belgium has decided to close schools, reduced opening hours for some shops and closed bars and restaurants despite the virus appearing to be at an early stage.

The country has 556 confirmed cases so far, with three people having died from the virus.

The Belgium's caretaker prime minister, Sophie Wilmes, told a news conference that the country is taking strong measures to prevent a "lockdown" like Italy.

"There is no lockdown," she said, emphasizing that supermarkets and pharmacies would remain open and other shops would be required to close only on weekends.

"We want to avoid the Italian situation and avoid lockdowns."

The new measures come into place on Friday 13 March and will run until April, with schools set to be closed for five weeks including the Easter holidays.

Belgium's government had been torn between keeping schools open like in the Netherlands or close them as in France – which they decided to do to avoid a bigger crisis.

The country's creches have remained open, but the government has warned against grandparents looking after young children.

Along with the closure of cafes and restaurants, there are tighter business hours for shops and, like in the Netherlands, all sporting and cultural activities have been suspended and event spaces closed, such as the famous Atomium and Magritte museums.

Starting from Saturday, only supermarkets and pharmacies will stay open as normal. Non-essential shops will close on the weekends.

There is concern about the impact of the new measures on small businesses.

Wilmes said: "When we take measures that upset the structure of society, as we have just done today, we do it first because it is necessary. We do it on the basis of scientific recommendations to avoid that the situation is more serious afterwards and we are doing so eminently together that all of us can move forward together."