According to figures released by Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, more than 40,000 people returned to Belgium this weekend from a stay of more than 48 hours outside the country. The majority came from areas that are marked red on the coronavirus infection rate map.
A total of 20,389 Passenger Locator Forms (PLFs) were submitted on Saturday, January 2nd, 17,701 of which came from people returning from red zone areas. On Sunday, January 3rd, a total of 22,315 PLFs were been submitted, 19,937 of which were from people returning from red zone areas.
The PLF is the form that anyone who has spent more than 48 hours outside Belgium must fill out before coming back to the country. It is not clear how many people have entered the country from a red zone area without having filled out the corresponding PLF.
Expats returning to #Brussels
— António Buscardini (@ABuscardini) January 4, 2021
Chaos at PLF-checkpoint at @BrusselsAirport #covid19be pic.twitter.com/mTgRhAPXk8
Checks at Brussels’ Gare du Midi, the main international railway station, revealed on Saturday, January 2nd that several passengers who had traveled from red zone countries such as France, Germany and the UK, had not filled out their Passenger Locator Forms. The individuals in question were fined and asked to fill out the PLFs on the spot.
