The retail sector asks the Consultation Committee to reopen as soon as possible. Receiving customers by appointment is a minimum.
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The Consultative Committee, which includes representatives of all governments in the country, will evaluate the new lockdown for the first time on Friday and the possibility of implementing easing here and there. Danny Van Assche, CEO of the self-employed organization Unizo, is counting on concrete answers.
“Our traders crave a concrete perspective,” he says. ‘They are perfectly organized to work safely. In addition, the stores are currently open in the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg, while a reopening is also expected in France. We lie like an enclave between them. That’s how you chase consumers across the border. ‘
Unizo is looking to the municipalities to keep the congestion in the shopping streets on the right track. If only appointment shopping were to become possible, the organization wants the existing support measures to continue, as they will still lead to lost sales.
Gentle healers
Some politicians have already responded with understanding. Self-Employed Minister David Clarinval (MR) believes expanding the opening for repair services is a minimum, as is the ability to re-let customers in by appointment.
But Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (SP.A) has already announced that it is too early. The infection rate is still much higher in Belgium than in the neighboring countries. “Gentle healers make smelly wounds,” Vandenbroucke warned this weekend.
The Consultation Committee will also consider measures during the Christmas period on Friday. Also around that – how many can we party with? – clarity is expected. The aim of the current lockdown may also be discussed: how low must the contamination figures drop to allow easing?
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