Due to the large influx of tourists to the Coast, the Acting Governor of West Flanders, Anne Martens, asked the competent authorities not to put in place additional trains from this Friday. She also stresses that troublemakers must be pursued fiercely. “Such behavior cannot and will not be tolerated,” she explains, referring to the altercation that occurred on Saturday in Blankenberge.
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The heat wave that hit the country caused a large influx of day tourists on the coast on Saturday. A total of 15,000 people came to Ostend, 8,000 to Blankenberge and 2,500 to Knokke-Heist by train. These figures are however diametrically opposed to the plan drawn up by the mayors of the Coast in cooperation with the province. Limits have been set for each municipality. “If it is then established that the SNCB alone brings in more tourists than these limits, this inevitably leads to problems of application in the coastal municipalities”, underlines the governor in office.
During the consultation with the crisis unit, it was decided not to close the stations on Sunday. However, the local police will have the reinforcement of the federal police to carry out checks, in particular in the stations. These measures are intended to avoid further brawls. In addition, the governor asks the federal government to stop operating additional trains to the Coast from the weekend of August 14. The governor also wants to “limit the occupancy of trains due to current measures related to the coronavirus. Once the visitor limit of a coastal municipality is reached, we can no longer bring additional people to the Coast ”.
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