One year ago to the day, on March 18, 2020, Belgium confined itself. A highly symbolic date in the fight against the coronavirus, and in the history of our country. Needless to say that Manneken-Pis had to mark the occasion.
You may have already come across them in the streets of Brussels: the Covid Boys, this “health militia” full of spunk who patrol in Hazmat suits to “put a smile back on the face” of passers-by, with a lot of gel and good humor. After more than a year of covid and because they are worth it, the city’s ketje wanted to pay tribute to them by putting on their famous suit. This is his 1054th suit, and the first of 2021.
Connaissez-vous les Covid Boys? Cette « milice sanitaire » patrouille pour « redonner le sourire » aux passant.e.s, à grand renfort de gel et d’humour. En leur offrant la possibilité d’habiller Manneken-Pis, nous souhaitions les remercier pour leur travail de prévention.#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/f65VKUsQk2
— Delphine Houba (@DelphineHouba) March 18, 2021
“For us that Manneken-Pis wears the suit is an immeasurable honor. Because it is the youth whose body is worn out to save the city. A youth that does not piss out of jealousy but out of courage. And if the most important statue in the city can echo this, we are convinced that the courage of the people of Brussels will be remembered. We are honored that Manneken-Pis is wearing our costume, because the smallest gestures extinguish the biggest tragedies,” say Oscar Briou and Grégoire De Vos, the two initiators of this not so crazy project of public health.
By offering them the possibility of dressing Manneken-Pis, we wanted to thank them for the prevention work they have been doing every day in the field for the past 5 months.
Alderman for Culture, Tourism and Major Events, Delphine Houba
The Covid Boys have understood that it is also through humor that the people of Brussels can be made aware of the need to respect the sanitary measures.
“And it’s also good for morale, to see that such a crisis can generate such initiatives, citizen and offbeat. And it’s also good for morale, to see that such a crisis can generate such initiatives, citizen and offbeat,” says the Alderman for Culture, Tourism and Major Events, Delphine Houba. “By offering them the possibility of dressing Manneken-Pis, we wanted to thank them for the prevention work they have been doing every day in the field for the past 5 months. It shows that when we combine barrier gestures with words and humor, the results are more than convincing. What we wanted to highlight with this new costume is an action that really bears fruit.”
The Covid Manneken costume consists of a full Hazmat suit with the City’s logo, hospital slippers, a FFP2 mask, red gloves, a belt and a small bag containing a hydroalcoholic gel dispenser and a tape measure.
The handing-over of the costume and the dressing will take place on Thursday, March 18th at 9 am in front of Manneken-Pis, in the presence of the Mayor and the Covid Boys.
