From 7 March, Belgium’s corona barometer is changing to code yellow. The Covid Safe Ticket will disappear in the Hotel and Catering sector, as will restrictions imposed on events. It will also be the end of the epidemic emergency and the federal phase of the national emergency plan launched two years ago.
The Belgian Consultation Committee considers that infections and the number of new hospitalisations are now on a constant downward trend and the reproduction rate of infections remains consistently below 1, indicating significantly lower circulation of the virus.
The details for 7 March and beyond are outlined below.
Masks still recommended but compulsory only in healthcare establishments and on public transport
- Wearing a mask is still recommended, among other things in indoor spaces, in the event of exceptional crowds and in places where social distancing of 1.5 meters cannot be guaranteed.
- The use of an FFP2 mask is still recommended for vulnerable people.
- From Monday 7 March 2022, wearing a mask will no longer be compulsory in education.
- The mask remains compulsory from the age of twelve in healthcare establishments such as hospitals and nursing homes, and in public transport.
Covid Safe Ticket
New travel rules from 11 March
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The general requirement to complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) is waived. The PLF is only mandatory for people traveling to Belgium with a carrier from a third country that is not on the European Union whitelist.
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People who travel to Belgium and have one of the three COVID certificates (vaccination, test or recovery) are not subject to any test or quarantine obligation.
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People who reside in Belgium, do not have any of the three COVID certificates (vaccination, test or recovery) and travel from a country whose situation is unfavourable, must be tested on the first day of their arrival (rapid antigen test or PCR test ). Countries with an unfavourable situation include countries in dark red on the ECDC map and third countries that are not on the European Union's whitelist.
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People who do not reside in Belgium must be in possession of a valid COVID certificate (vaccination, test or recovery) when entering Belgium, except for short stays of less than 48 hours.
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For people coming from countries or regions with a new variant of concern, the current screening and quarantine rules remain unchanged.
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A ban on entry into the territory is maintained for non-essential travel by non-EU citizens residing in a third country that is not on the European Union's whitelist, unless they have a certificate vaccination or recovery.
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The ban on entry to the territory is maintained for travellers from countries or regions presenting a new variant of concern (zone at very high risk of VOC).
Telework
Monitoring of the medical situation
The Consultation Committee continues to monitor the epidemiological situation. It will consider five levers that the World Health Organisation foresees to counter a possible resurgence of Covid:
1. Preserve the capacity of genome sequencing to rapidly detect new variants
2. Continue to focus on primary vaccination of unaffected and vulnerable groups, as high vaccination coverage remains the main protection against new variants
3. Make antiviral treatments available and affordable, in addition to vaccination
4. Promote air quality through ventilation and filtration
5. Promote international solidarity in the donation and production of vaccines to reduce the risk of emergence of new variants of the virus.
More information here: https://centredecrise.be/fr/newsroom/code-jaune-partir-du-lundi-7-mars
