Thousands of people from areas classified as red, either at risk for the Covid-19 epidemic, have entered Belgium in recent days, data from the “Passenger Locator Form” emerged on Monday, compulsory form since Saturday for any person who enters Belgium after a stay of at least 48 hours abroad and gathering information on their stay and their means of transport.
The authorities had already received more than 200,000 forms on Monday morning, said the spokesperson for the SPF Public Health, Vinciane Charlier. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people arrived per day from red zones. They must therefore carry out a screening test and respect a 14-day quarantine. Between 7,000 and 9,000 additional people have, moreover, returned to the country daily from orange zones. They are invited to contact their general practitioner to be tested and to quarantine, but this is not an obligation. The tracking of people in quarantine is still under development. “By bringing together data from contact tracing, traveler forms and labs, we can find out who hasn’t been tested yet,” the secretary of the Interministerial Conference on Public Health, Pedro Facon, told Nieuwsblad.
Cooperation with local authorities is also possible. The figures of the FPS Public Health are perhaps still underestimated: the checks showed that many people had not completed the form before their return. In particular, the police checked 51 vehicles on Saturday on the E40 in Adinkerke, of which only 18 were in order. From this week, officers will issue a fine if the form is not completed, confirms spokeswoman Jana Verdegem. The color coding system for travel may also be adapted. The Celeval federal expert group will discuss this on Tuesday. The current system is a source of frustration, both for travelers and for countries whose color is changing.
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