Starting from tomorrow, Flanders and Wallonia will lift almost all Covid-19 rules in the hospitality sector. But the Brussels-Capital Region has decided to keep the current stricter measures in place until the end of September. Before last week’s Consultative Committee, Brussels had already announced its intention to extend all rules due to the increased number of cases of the Delta variant and its lower vaccination rate. According to the Brussels Times, the Brussels government clarified last Friday that the stricter measures will remain in force until at least the end of September. One more time, the hospitality sector of Brussels – including bars, restaurants, and catering services at events with up to 200 people indoors (and 400 outdoors) – will have to comply with the following measures:
- keep a social distance of at least 1.5 m between the tables;
- seating a maximum of eight people per table;
- ensure that all customers are seated and do not get up to order at the bar;
- complying with local regulations for terraces;
- limiting noise level to 80db in indoor areas.
Furthermore, the entire hospitality sector and night shops will have to close at 1:00 AM, although Flanders and Wallonia have already eliminated this forced closing time. When not seated, wearing face masks will remain mandatory in the entire country.
Brussels will keep in force the federal measures agreed for professional catering services at events with more than 200 participants indoors or 400 outdoors. These measures include social distance and mask obligation. Events that use the Covid Safe Ticket (which proves that someone is fully vaccinated, recovered from the virus, or has a recent negative test result) are exempt to comply with these requirements. The situation will be re-evaluated at the end of September and authorities will decide whether the hospitality rules will have to be further extended or will be lifted.
