The Consultative Committee is said to have decided that stores will be able to reopen fully – without by-appointment shopping – from 26 April, according to reports in local media.
Following complaints from the sector that shopping by appointment is not working, the Committee reportedly decided to scrap the system as soon as the so-called “Easter pause” is over, on 26 April, reports Het Laatste Nieuws, citing information from several sources.
From that same date, non-medical contact professions, such as hairdressers, will likely also be allowed to open again, and people’s “outdoor bubble” will reportedly be expanded to ten people, according to reports in several local media.
Additionally, the current ban on non-essential travel to and from Belgium will reportedly also be lifted from Monday 19 April, according to reports in VRT.
A Ministerial Decree published in late March already stated that the ban would be lifted the day after the Easter holidays, and would be replaced by strict controls on testing and quarantining.
However, the Consultative Committee is still meeting, and these reports remain unconfirmed until/unless they are announced by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo at a press conference later today. The timing has not been announced yet.
