Nice weather and little to do. So this weekend people flocked to the sea or went for walks in forests or parks. This led to great crowds here and there, so that the police had to intervene. This was the case, among others, in a number of coastal municipalities. But also more inland. In Ronse, the police even had to close the roads to the Muziekbos. There were even more tourists in the High Fens than at the first snowfall, the mayor said.
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“Let us not get too lax because there are finally some positive noises from the government about the corona virus. Because there is still a long way to go ”, says Tourism Alderman Anthony Wittesaele of Knokke-Heist. In his municipality, but also in most other coastal municipalities, things were turned upside down this weekend.
“What can people do other than go outside. Especially when the weather is nice ”, it sounds. The beach, the dike, the Zwin. There was a multitude of people everywhere.
Same scenario in other coastal municipalities. Many families went out for a healthy autumn walk. “Most of the people adhered to the mouth mask obligation,” the various police zones say.
READ ALSO. Kluisbos attracts masses of walkers, roads to Muziekbos closed on Saturday and Sunday (+)
Even though most of the shops were closed, Ostend was a hit. “We had to intervene a few times, especially on Saturday,” said Chief Philip Caestecker of the local police.
“We closed off the western breakwater and removed hikers. On the dike, we have made the narrowest part between the Kursaal and the 3 Gapers one-way. Because the people were too close together. ”
Photo: Peter Malaise
It is unpleasant for the catering industry on the coast. The autumn holiday is normally the first peak week after the summer. Now everything stayed closed.
“Hotels were on average 25 percent occupied, but the rental of holiday homes did increase,” says Westtoer. According to estimates by the Westtoer knowledge center, 375,000 to 400,000 people visited the coast this autumn holiday. Normally there are at least half a million in this period and everyone will get their share of it.
The catering industry therefore hopes to be able to restart quickly and is counting on the support of the government.
Forests and parks
It was not only busy on the coast. Also inland people came out en masse to enjoy nature. The Botanic Garden in Meise was sold out. In Ronse, the police even had to close the access roads to the Muziekbos.
“It was very busy. The cars were also parked everywhere, so that even the farmers could no longer pass with their agricultural vehicles. On Sunday we closed all access roads ”, says police chief Patrick Boel.
“Even though there is no mandatory mouth mask in forests, the police still called on everyone to wear a mouth mask when it is busy,” said the police chief.
It was already very busy in the Kluisbos in Kluisbergen on Saturday, but on Sunday there were even more people.
The coast also expects a lot of people next week because the autumn holidays have been extended by one week. And also in parks where reservations have to be made in advance, the reservations are well received. Now that amusement parks and zoos are closed, people are forced to look for alternatives.
The Ardennes also overrun with walkers
People came out en masse not only in Flanders, this was also the case in the Ardennes. In Jalhay, the police had to intervene several times because people did not wear mouth masks where it was mandatory. “In the High Fens there were more tourists this weekend than at the first snowfall. Traditionally, this is a great weekend in the High Fens ”, says mayor of Jalhay Michel Parotte.
In many other places in the Ardennes it was also very busy and the police had to intervene for wildlife parkers, drivers who left their vehicles on forest paths or even on fire roads. The Ardennes also received fewer tourists than usual this autumn. The same in German-speaking Belgium, says the tourist office there.
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