The catering industry can remain open both inside and outside from 9 June until 23.30 pm, and there is clarity about our travels this summer. “We have succeeded in turning an uncertain situation into a summer with positive prospects,” said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo after the Consultation Committee.
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‘The Consultation Committee today mainly looked ahead to the summer. That we can look ahead with fewer worries is possible because we have behaved safely in recent weeks, but also because of the smooth vaccination campaign. It was a collective effort’, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) started the press conference. He also apologized to Prime Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA) who was unable to attend due to a personal matter, he was replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Hilde Crevits (CD&V).
‘The most important decisions of the Consultation Committee have to do with free and safe travel this summer. It’s been a cold spring for all of us, we look forward to traveling again. Rule number one remains that whoever comes back from the green or orange zone has no testing or quarantine obligation. For traveling to and from red zones, the agreement is that you can do this with the European corona certificate without further obligations in terms of quarantine or testing. The condition is that you have been fully vaccinated for two weeks, can present a negative PCR test of less than 72 hours or a recovery certificate,’ says De Croo. “As you know, the federal government is making two free PCR tests available this summer.”
But the Consultation Committee is also thinking of possible dark clouds over that carefree summer. ‘We have built in an emergency brake to prevent the spread of more contagious and dangerous variants. People living in our country will always have to respect a ten-day quarantine, if they have been in a high-risk zone. Applies to everyone, including those who have been vaccinated. An entry ban then applies to non-Belgians who come from such a high-risk area’, clarified De Croo. This concerns countries such as Brazil and India.
Ten basic rules
‘We have managed to turn an uncertain situation into a summer with positive prospects. But we still have to be careful, still a large group that has not yet been vaccinated, and it also takes two-three weeks for that first layer of protection after the vaccine,” said De Croo. ‘To keep things safe in the coming months, the Consultation Committee is putting forward ten basic rules.’
A. “Get vaccinated.” Two. ‘Observing hand hygiene, and continuing to follow the rules regarding sneezing and coughing.’ Three. ‘Anyone who is sick has themselves tested.’ Four. ‘Anyone who has not yet been vaccinated can do a self-test. It’s a bit of etiquette when you visit someone.’ Five. ‘Prefer outdoor activities. Six ‘Choose smaller groups. The risk of infection is lower in groups of five than in groups of fifty.’ Seven. ‘You may remove the mouth mask in a company where everyone has been vaccinated.’ eight. “Keep ventilating rooms.” Nine. ‘Also try to keep a safe distance as much as possible.’ Ten. ‘Use the digital corona certificate when you travel and follow the rules in the country you are going to.
‘If we stick to this, we can look forward to a nice summer, without much worries. Don’t forget to enjoy yourself, it has been a difficult period,” De Croo added.
Closing hour catering
‘Initially it was decided to keep the hours different for the catering industry,’ said Minister Hilde Crevits. But due to the vaccination campaign and the European Championship football, it was decided to opt for a uniform hour. The European Championship football can ensure that people who sit outside and inside can still mix with each other. And the government does not want to take that risk. The catering industry will close inside and outside at 11.30 pm and it is also allowed to open from 5 am, instead of 8 am.
From Wednesday, everyone can go to work one day a week. ‘It is a necessity for people who have been working from home for months, or even a year, that they can now go to the workplace again one day a week,’ says Crevits. ‘It does require a great deal of responsibility from employers and employees.’ From July, telecommuting may be relaxed even further, Crevits said.
The Consultation Committee also approved some thirty test events in the period from 1 July to 31 August. Events will be organized around the use of the Covid Safe Ticket, air quality and crowd management.
From August 13, the event may take place outdoors with 75,000 visitors. The Consultation Committee has clarified the conditions for those large-scale events. Participants of these events will require a full vaccination, and a two week waiting period, or a recent PCR test (not older than 72 hours). It would also be possible to offer rapid antigen tests on site. Another Consultation Committee will take place on 11 June. The Summer Plan will be further fleshed out there from 1 July.
Gratis tests
‘We have lived very carefully. The fact that we are seeing the infection decrease so much, that hospital admissions are falling so much, is due to the vaccinations, but also to that caution,” said Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit), referring to the ten rules that are also subject to a public campaign. coming.
“We must also protect that freedom against the importation of viruses from other countries, and in particular against variants of the virus that can again cause more problems. That is why we want to be strict with travelers who enter our country,” said the minister, who refers to the aforementioned options (vaccination, test or recovery certificate), for children from the age of twelve.
‘It is true that a number of neighboring countries will impose these requirements before the age of six. These children will not be vaccinated, as will some other people, and it would be unfair to make it difficult for these people. That is why we are making available two free PCR tests for children aged six to 17 years and adults from 1 July to the end of September. We do try to be economical, so two tests for adults only apply if they have not yet received an invitation to vaccinate. Specifically: if you have not yet received the date on which you will receive your second dose or first dose of Johnson & Johnson, you are entitled to two PCR tests. We also add three weeks to that date. Obtaining the free test will simply work with a code’, Vandenbroucke assured.
“The cost to the federal government depends on a number of things. How green will the countries around us be, because you don’t need a test for that. Also depends on vaccination campaign progress. Also depends on how many people want to go to festivals. But it could well be an effort of about forty million euros’, says Vandenbroucke.
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