On Friday March 5th, during Belgium’s Consultative Committee meeting, Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon said that the hospitality sector could be able to open its doors from May 1st, as long as the contagion rate numbers remain stable in Belgium. During the same meeting, Prime Minister De Croo went to great lengths to nuance the message regarding a potential deconfinement. The way out, he said, will greatly depend on the success of the vaccination campaign.
Jambon and other ministers had been hoping to start easing measures in Flanders earlier this month but the figures were not as positive as they would have wanted them to be. The hospitality sector, crippled by the confinement measures, has been pushing for a reopening of their activities sooner than later. The association representing the industry in Flanders made a statement in late February announcing that they would be ready to open for business as early as April 1st.
Some politicians, including Prime Minister De Croo, have preferred to keep a cautious stance. The reopening of the events and hospitality sector, as well as the relaxation of other measures will depend on the evolution of contagion rates and hospital admissions. “For the next month there will be an extensive deployment of Covid-19 tests across the country,” he said.
According to the Brussels Times, Flemish Minister-President Jambon said that Flanders would be increasing its support measures for the beleaguered hospitality sector.
