The measures to relax the “summer plan” in the context of the health crisis are being maintained, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Monday at the end of a new consultation committee. Faced with the circulation of the delta variant of Covid-19, controls will, however, be strengthened. Travelers returning from an area of the European Union or the Schengen area “at high risk”, that is to say where dangerous variants of the coronavirus circulate, and who are not fully vaccinated, should do so. a PCR test on the 1st and 7th day of their return, regardless of the color of the area.
A positive result in a PCR test will imply a 10-day quarantine requirement. For the moment, no country in the Schengen zone is in a situation where the circulation of variants is such that the rule should be applied, said the Prime Minister. The day 1 test is not necessary if the person in question has already had a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival on Belgian territory. Controls on passenger locator form (PLF) and digital covid certificates will be strengthened, especially at airports and train stations.
The Consultative Committee also recommends that the organizers of youth camps ensure the general screening of supervisors and young participants before their departure, in order to prevent infected people from participating in the camp. The various governments also insist on the obligation to wear a mask in a number of places (shops, public transport, conference rooms, etc.), respect for safety distances and sufficient ventilation.
A “covid safe ticket” will appear on August 13. It can be used for events of more than 1,500 people outdoors. From September 1, it can also apply to indoor events. Persons vaccinated for more than two weeks, who present a certificate of recovery or a recent negative test, will be able to receive this ticket. Thanks to this ticket, the rules for wearing a mask, distancing and those put in place by the “covid / event infrastructure risk model” are no longer applicable.
The organizers must, however, provide a crowd management plan, respect health precautions and ensure adequate ventilation including the use of a CO2 meter. Thanks to vaccination, the contaminations and hospitalizations curve can be dissociated. Governments always urge citizens to be extremely careful and refrain from dropping restrictive measures too quickly. “This allows us to reduce step by step the restrictions that we know. I say ‘step by step’ because the countries which lifted their measures too early have had to go back”, underlined the Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo.