News and Events -----------

A detailed plan for the rollout of coronavirus vaccinations in Belgium was published yesterday (3 December). The rollout will start in early January, will be free and voluntary, deploy five different vaccines with 22 million doses in total available. The plan identifies six groups that will be vaccinated over three phases, in order of priority.

Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Alexander de Croo had indicated that distribution will start from 5 January.

During the first phase, a limited amount of vaccines will be available to residents and staff of care homes and health care professionals. Some 600,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine will be used to (hopefully) immunise to 300,000 people through two doses. The Pfizer vaccine requires very cold storage and handling infrastructure.

Under the second phase, when more vaccines with more conventional storage requirements are available, people over 65; at-risk patients between 45 and 65; and people with essential social and/or economic functions will get a vaccine.

The final phase of the plan will target other at-risk patients and the rest of the adult population when a sufficient supply of vaccines is available. According to Dirk Ramaeckers, the head of the Belgian vaccination task force, it is likely that this stage will not be reached before summer 2021.

The current five candidate vaccines against COVID-19 are from AstraZeneca/Oxford; Johnson & Johnson; Pfizer/BioNTech; CureVac; and Moderna. Official EU-wide approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine is expected before the end of the year.

How does an mRNA vaccine work?

This handy infographic from the Royal Society of Chemistry and Compound Chemistry explains how an mRNA vaccine works.

You can download and read the full report on the Belgian Vaccination Strategy here (in French) – ‘Avis pour l’opérationnalisation de la Stratégie de vaccination COVID-19 pour la Belgique’. 

Calling all quizzers. The UNICEF Christmas Quiz has been launched. Under COVID, charities have suffered as they struggle to provide their normal levels of support to those in need, while coping with reduced income. With Christmas approaching, we hope that you will be willing to lend your support to UNICEF in Belgium by participating in their Christmas Anagram quiz or by making a donation to this worthwhile cause.

In the Christmas Anagram quiz you are asked to find Christmas words or names. The number of letters corresponding to each clue is in parentheses and the number in bold represents the total number of letters of the Christmas word or name. The Quiz sheet can be downloaded here.

Future sporting events are a good reference for tie-break questions and this quiz is no exception. This time you are asked to guess the total number of runs that Pakistan will score in the T20 International cricket match vs. New Zealand to be played in Hamilton, New Zealand starting at 19.00 local time on Sunday 20 December, 2020.

For those who may not be familiar with cricket, you should know that the number of runs scored by Pakistan in their last ten T20 matches were: 106, 107, 130, 137, 137, 142, 150, 157, 190, and 195 (an average of 145).

Entries to …

Answers to the Quiz must be received no later than midnight (CET) on Saturday 19 December and the winners will be announced on Monday, 21 December.

The winner and ‘Christmas Anagram Quiz Champion’ will be the entry with the highest score and whose tie-break answer (if applicable) is closest to the true actual number of runs scored by Pakistan on 20 December.

The winner will receive three bottles of Saint Emilion Grand Cru. There will also be a prize of a bottle of champagne for the person who does not achieve the highest quiz score, but whose tie-break answer is closest to the actual number of runs scored.

To enter you should email your answers to unicefquiz@gmail.com to arrive no later than midnight (CET) (23.00 UK) on Saturday 19 December.

If you do not wish to participate in the quiz, please consider making a donation to UNICEF.

Donations to …

The suggested entry fee of EUR 10 (you may contribute more if you wish) can be transferred directly to the Ex-Pats for UNICEF account: BE83 3630 2680 8315 in Belgium including the reference Anagram December.

All money raised by UNICEF Belgium during 2020 will go to support their WASH (WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene) project in Rwanda.

Please feel free to distribute this announcement widely to your friends, colleagues and fellow quiz team members. Good luck!

The Brussels-based English-language magazine The Bulletin has just launched a pop-up online radio station for Belgium's international community. Alongside its new digital magazine, The Bulletin radio is aiming to inform, engage and be closer its cosmopolitan audience.

The Bulletin has been broadcasting in English on Bruzz every Sunday since 2016, but now the magazine feels it is time to provide a 24-hour service, at least until Belgium's coronavirus measures are eased, hopefully in the spring.

As well as the latest news and practical information from The Bulletin editorial team, the station will broadcast in-depth reports and interviews, and information about clubs, associations and charitable initiatives that can provide support and assistance. A typical daily programme is shown below.

The Bulletin describe the radio initiative as a work-in-progress and they'd love your feedback. They would love to hear from community organisations, get your local news, and understand issues affecting our lives in Belgium. You can contact The Bulletin here.

The Bulletin Radio programme schedule

:00 - World news

Give us three minutes and we'll give you the world. The latest international headlines, with Lucy Hough in Brussels and news teams reporting from bureaux worldwide.

:05 and :50 - The Bulletin community

Coronavirus has had a profound impact on the way we live and work. Here, we share a positive outlook on the pandemic, including practical tips, solidarity initiatives and news from clubs and associations.

:10 and :45 - The Bulletin reports

We meet the people and visit the places that make Belgium special. Richard Harris delves into The Bulletin's five-year archive of audio reports and interviews, from museums and restaurants to individual expat tales and more.

:20 - What's on this week

Our pick of Belgium’s best activities, online and off, with Lisa Bradshaw. Plus a look forward to some of the best cultural events scheduled for 2021.

:30 - The Brussels Minute

A bitesize roundup of Belgium's news, in English, with Nick Amies and Paul McNally.

:35 - The Bulletin magazine

An extract from one of the articles you'll find in The Bulletin's first fully online magazine, read by one of our freelance contributors.

:40 - The Best of Belgium

This isn't the definitive guide to Belgian pop/rock - just a handful of tracks selected by The Bulletin's editorial team, showcasing some of our favourite Belgian contemporary musicians.

Every night from 22.00-6.00 - #Stayhome

Just relaxing music to accompany you overnight, plus international news on the hour.

And on Sunday from 12.00 to 13.00 it is The Bulletin on Bruzz - a live relay of our weekly magazine show in English also available on 98.8FM in Brussels.

On Friday the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, announced that despite a slight improvement in the COVID19 health situation, the country will remain on the Covid 4 alert level.

However, a couple of important decisions were announced.

Non-essential stores to reopen

Non-essential stores can reopen from 1 December under strict hygiene conditions. This will require strict observance of basic rules, such as washing hands, keeping one's distance, and all customers wearing masks; prevention measures to be clearly articulated and visible to all visitors including staff and suppliers; hand disinfectant gel must be available at the shop entrance and all shoppers must disinfect their hands; store staff must receive appropriate training; all shopping will be done individually with one adult per shopping session with accompanying children (up to and including age 18) being limited as much as possible; any store visit should be as brief as possible with a maximum of 30 minutes; each store will be responsible for managing any queue system outside the store to ensure correct social distancing and compliance with local authority directives.

The number of customers allowed in any store will relate to the type of store and its accessible surface area. For stores, the standard of one customer per 10 m² of accessible surface will apply with stores of less than 20 m² able to welcome a maximum of two customers at any one time. Department stores of more than 400 m² must provide for access control and access to shopping centres, shopping streets and car parks will be organized by the relevant municipal authorities to ensure respect for social distancing rules.

Museums and swimming pools can also open according to their own sector protocols.

Christmas period

During the Christmas period, the rules relating to social contacts will remain in force. For the sake of psychosocial well-being, single people can invite their two close contacts at the same time, either on 24 or 25 December.

For outdoor gatherings, the rule of four still applies.

The curfew between midnight and 5 a.m. will remain in effect, as does the general ban on gatherings. A general ban on the sale and use of fireworks over the Christmas festive period also applies.

The Belgian Government Immigration Office website has today issued an update on the final steps being taken in the country to implement the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which regulates the situation for UK citizens already living and working in Belgium before 31 December 2020.

It foreseen that UK citizens will have a period up to 31 December 2021 to apply for a new residence card specifically for beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement, i.e. those UK citizens and their family members who have declared their residency in Belgium by 31 December 2020. This application period also applies to applications for a card for local border traffic (cross-border work) for beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement.

During the year-long application period, all (residence) rights of the British and their family members who already resided or worked in Belgium will be protected. 

E or F to M or N

During this period, you can continue to use your current (residence) documents (E,E+,F, and F+ cards). When you submit your application for the new status, you will also receive a certificate of application from the municipality which will cover your (residence) rights during the formal examination of your application.

More information will be available soon regarding the application procedure to be followed for submitting an application for the new residence card (M card) or as a frontier worker for a local border traffic card (N card). You will also be informed individually by letter of the procedure to be followed by your commune or other appropriate authority.

The Full Circle organisation has been adapting its programme of events as the health situation has fluctuated over the year - moving online in March and then back to live/hybrid events in the summer and now all online again.

This Friday (27 November) Full Circle presents Laura Mucha, the author of ‘We need to talk about love’ (the hardback edition was entitled 'Love Factually'). The book draws on 100s of interviews and peer-reviewed research into how we love and what influences how we love, such as nurture, peer learning etc.

Love is all around and Laura Mucha has made it her business to dive into one of life’s most elusive and complex subjects.

For the past ten years, Laura has been travelling all over the world to find out not only what love is, but also why and how we love. The result of her extensive exploration is a revealing look at love from all angles – scientific, psychological, emotional and philosophical.

Laura blends the most intimate stories she has gathered around the world with enlightening scientific insights, for a compelling and entertaining evening.

To find more information and/ or register for the event follow this link.

The Full Circle online salons usually involve splitting the talk into two so that the audience gets a break from listening. Full Circle also use breakout rooms for their ‘table discussions’ which work really well and help maintain a friendly Full Circle vibe! 

The UK government is undertaking one of its largest direct mail campaigns to UK Nationals living in EU and EFTA member states with 365 000 people on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) database being contacted.

The UK Government mailshot will cover advice on the actions required to prepare for the end of the UK Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020. The mailshot includes 5 248 letters issued to people on the DWP’s database in Belgium.

The letters will be sent to UK State Pensioners and benefit recipients giving them advice on how to register for residency and healthcare, exchange driving licences and check new passport validity rules online.

All UK citizens resident in Belgium should also be contacted by their Belgian communes soon with information on how to apply for new residency permits once the transition period is over. As the UK has left the EU new residency cards will be required as UK citizens will not be eligible for E / E+ cards (unless they are also citizens of an EU country). The transfer should be seamless, but UK citizens will need to apply for the new residence status and cards. In the meantime, exiting cards will remain valid for accessing commune and federal services etc.

Outreach

Martin Shearman British Ambassador to Belgium said: “Since 2017, British embassies across Europe have organised 853 outreach events, with more than 510 000 Brits attending in person or online. We will continue to support them, including through our ongoing public information campaign.”

The UK Government has been running a public information campaign featuring online, radio and newspaper adverts across 30 countries informing UK Nationals of the actions they need to take. This is in addition to the hundreds of town hall meetings, street surgeries and online Q&As run by the UK’s Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates across Europe.

The UK Government has also allocated £3 million for charities and community voluntary organisations across Europe to assist UK Nationals that may need additional help to register or apply to protect their residency rights. This includes potentially at-risk groups, such as pensioners and disabled people and those living in remote areas or who have mobility difficulties.

UK Nationals can find the most up to date information on actions they may need to take in the ‘Living in Guide’ for Belgium here. 

Know your rights

UK Nationals’ rights to continue living in EU member states are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement (and Separation Agreement with EFTA countries), provided they are permanently resident and exercising their treaty/free movement rights by 31 December 2020. This is not affected by the UK’s ongoing trade negotiation with the EU.

Actions UK Nationals may need to take include applying or registering for residency, checking or registering for healthcare, exchanging UK driving licence, and checking passport validity.

The Brussels Women’s Club’s walking marathon around Brussel’s 80km promenade verte over the summer has raised over €9 500 for charities!

The club organised the walk over 7 stages and thanks all the members of the Club, walkers, friends and family who participated either with their feet or with donations to reach the magnificent total of €9 532 for the club’s 2020 Charities: The Parkinson’s Association Belgium and The Giraffe Project Children’s Charity that provides education for desperately poor children from the slums in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Promenade verte is a ~80 km walk right round the periphery of Brussels and was not only an opportunity to raise money, but also to discover the astonishing green belt which surrounds our city and meet new people too!

Not only were the walks a challenge in themselves, but the walk organisers had to cope with the added issues of COVID this year – but nevertheless, the walks became a highlight of the year in more ways than one. And a roaring success for the charities.

With the new COVID19 measures in place, commemorating the fallen of two world wars and other conflicts will be more difficult in 2020. However, the Royal British Legion Brussels Branch has complied some ideas for Remembrance 2020 that offer us a variety of more personal ways to remember this year.

Visit your nearest Commonwealth War Grave

Belgium has 625 war grave cemeteries commemorating those who fell in the First and Second World Wars. Go to the RBL Brussels website for details of nine cemeteries in Brussels and the surrounding areas. You can contact RBL Brussels to obtain a wreath or poppy cross or stick. The Legion would love to see your pictures and share our Acts of Remembrance. Obviously any visits you make must be conducted in accordance with current Belgian COVID restrictions.

Request a Remembrance Tribute

The Brussels Branch Committee will plant your personal tribute on a poppy cross/stick at a Commonwealth War Grave on your behalf. Send the RBL your message here.

Virtual Field of Remembrance

You can add your personal tribute to a virtual Field of Remembrance. Just follow this link to leave your tribute.

Write to a Second World War veteran

The Legion is inviting children to write a letter to our Second World War veterans living in Belgium. For more details, contact the RBL Brussels branch directly.

Watch Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph

The BBC coverage of the Cenotaph service will start from 11.15hrs on Sunday 8 November (also on BBC Radio 4). If you can't get the BBC then use the links on the RBL Brussels website to watch a livestream of a Remembrance Sunday service online at Winchester, Exeter, or Dover.

Observe the two-minute silence at 11.00hrs on 11 November

Take two minutes on Wednesday 11 November to pause and honour those who gave their lives for peace and freedom.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Please contact the Royal British Legion Brussels Branch to order wreathes or poppy crosses/sticks for your Act of Remembrance or make a direct donation (details below).

RBL Brussels donations should be made to: RBL Brussels, account no.: BE89 2100 1555 2485 with the reference: Poppy Appeal 2020

To find out more or contact the branch visit the RBL Brussels website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

This evening (30 October) Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, announced a further tightening of lockdown measures to reduce the pressure on hospitals and to quickly and drastically flatten the COVID-19 curve in the country. The new measures will come into force on Monday, 2 November for a period of one and a half months until Sunday 13 December.

The new measures are:

1. Social life

Each member of a family has the right to have close contact. Families can only invite one close contact to their home at a time. You cannot receive other visitors at home. An exception is given to people who live alone: next to their close contact, they can also invite an additional person, but not at the same time.

Meeting outdoors: four-person rule, respecting safety distances.

Funeral with a maximum of 15 people present, ban on organizing a meal or a reception after the ceremony.

Places of prayer remain open but no religious services. Gatherings of a maximum of four people, subject to wearing a mask and respecting the distances.

The borders are not closed in accordance with the European agreements. However, travel abroad is strongly discouraged.

Weddings take place only in the presence of spouses, witnesses and registrars.

2. Economic life

Teleworking is compulsory in areas which allow it. When teleworking is not possible, wearing a mask and ventilating the premises are mandatory. Corporate restaurants are closed.

Holiday centres and campsites are closed in their entirety from the morning of Tuesday, 3 November morning. Until then, indoor and group activities at the resorts are suspended. Meals may be consumed in vacation homes, per family.

The hotels and B & B's remain open, but their restaurants are closed. Meals can be eaten in the room.

Non-essential stores are closing but may organize pickups and home deliveries of goods ordered in advance. Access to the store is prohibited when picking up purchases.

To ensure fair competition rules, supermarkets and markets (<200 people) must limit their offer to products available in essential stores.

Garages and bicycle shops only provide repairs.

Non-medical professions (hairdressers, make-up artists, wellness centres, massage, beauty salons, etc.) are closing.

Farm businesses and businesses remain open, provided they meet telecommuting, mask-wearing and social distancing obligations.

Animal parks will close.

3. Schools

For all levels of education, classes will be suspended on 12 and 13 November. Classes will resume on Monday 16 November.

For secondary education, second and third degree students will attend face-to-face education at a maximum of 50% of the time until 1 December. Before 1 December, the government will assess whether 100% face-to-face teaching is possible again.

For higher education, distance education will be provided:

o first-year students: until 1 December, when they will be able to follow face-to-face teaching again.

o older students, at least until the end of the calendar year.

Teachers will meet online; the same rule applies to pedagogical days.

Organizing physical team-building events is prohibited.

4. Start and end dates

The measures will come into force throughout the country from Monday, 2 November, 2020.

The measures apply for a period of one and a half months, until Sunday 13 December, 2020 inclusive. For non-essential businesses, the Consultation Committee will conduct an assessment on 1 December.

Find the original release information (in French) here.