Belgium is going to relax corona measures for the catering and cultural sector | Abroad

Restaurants and cafes can stay open one hour longer from January 28: until midnight. From that moment on, concert halls and theaters are allowed to use 70 to 100 percent of the hall capacity. Now a maximum of 200 people are allowed in. Important condition: there must be sufficient ventilation.

Bowling centers and indoor playgrounds are also allowed to open again. Our southern neighbors continue to stick to working from home and the mouth cap obligation.

coronapas

At the same time, Belgium is tightening the rules for the corona pass. From 1 March, people must have had a booster five months after their last shot to enter a restaurant or swimming pool, for example. De Croo has emphasized that the corona pass is a temporary measure.

As in the Netherlands, infection records are being broken in Belgium, but Prime Minister De Croo emphasizes that omicron makes less sick and that many people have been vaccinated. “It does not put a higher pressure on healthcare,” says the head of government. “People who do get very sick are vulnerable or not vaccinated.”

De Croo is cautious about the future, but he hopes that the pandemic will eventually develop into an epidemic where the situation will look more like a normal flu. “Unfortunately, that is not the case yet.”

coronabarometer

After a vigorous debate between the various governments, Belgium has also agreed on the introduction of a ‘corona barometer’. With three color codes (green, orange and red), measures for Belgians should become more predictable.

Our southern neighbors will start in ‘code red’ at the end of this month due to the pressure on healthcare. With ‘code orange’ there is ‘increasing pressure in healthcare’ and more measures are being abandoned. With ‘code green’ the situation is under control and almost anything is possible again.

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