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

Today, Thursday 23 July, the Belgian National Security Council has agreed to postpone Phase 5 of COVID-19 deconfinement due to a deterioration in the general trends with respect to the virus in Belgium.

"From the start, we have been told that the phases would correlate with the figures for the pandemic," warned Sophie Wilmès at a press conference following the Council meeting. She also outlined some additional measures that will be put in place across the country.

There will be no increase in the maximum number of people allowed for receptions and fairs and exhibitions may not always allowed.

The resumption of ‘normal’ activities is still scheduled for September 1, but will be subject to a very strict health protocol and the compulsory wearing of face masks.

Face masks – new rules

From this Saturday, July 25, the wearing of face masks will be mandatory in all markets, flea markets, fairgrounds, in shopping streets and any place with large amounts of people, whether a private or public domain.

Each commune will define precisely the areas where facemask will be mandatory.

Wearing a facemask will also be compulsory in public buildings and in catering establishments, except when diners are seated at the table.

In all other cases, wearing a mask is always strongly recommended, especially when there are people and when it is difficult to respect safe distancing.

The closing time for night shops will now be 22h00 to avoid gatherings in public areas.

Local lockdown

Reconfinement at the local level will now be the responsibility of mayors at commune level. They can intervene within the framework of the decisions of the National Security Council, but they have the flexibility to act locally if there is a deterioration in the health situation in their commune.

In some cases, local containment may be possible. The mayors will have to contact the district governors and the regional authorities so that the measures are applied in a consistent manner.

Where did you eat?

Everyone visiting a bar or restaurant must complete a form indicating their email address or telephone number, which will be used to contact them in the event of potential contamination.

“After 15 days, without contamination, this information will be destroyed. And it will not be used for purposes other than those related to the coronavirus," stated the Prime Minister.

Social bubble

Each person’s social bubble remains at 15 people per week – not per day. "If everyone strictly respects the rule, we should not touch this bubble to which we hold so much," said Sophie Wilmès. However, to maintain this situation "will depend on the behaviour of each and every one of us."

Medical situation

The reason for these new measures stems from a 89% increase in COVID19 cases compared to last week. The number of Covid-19 infections has been accelerating for several days. Between 12 July and 18 July 18, there were an average of 184.3 new cases detected per day. Hospital admissions are also on an upward trend.

You can watch the 23 July press conference below or read the press release (in French) here.

The BBCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place virtually via Teams on Wednesday 15 July 2020. The meeting started at 18h30.

Attendees at the meeting were H.E. Martin Shearman - British Ambassador to Belgium, Glenn Vaughan - Chairman BBCA, Glynis Whiting, Steve Robinson, Nigel Cameron, Anna Cameron, Lilian Eilers - Chair of British & Commonwealth Women’s Club, Tim Reynolds, Amanda Newell, Chris Dalton, Christopher Thubron, Malcolm Johnson, Simon Pascoe, Tracie Ryan, Charles White, and Nick Compton.

Apologies for Absence were received from Clive Hinchcliffe, Bernard Mills - Chairman/President Brussels Madrigal Singers, Muriel Lowe, Eileen Chiles. Alan Davis, Léon RUBIN, Liz Taylor, Susannah Haan, and Nikki Hayes.

Address from the Ambassador

As part of the proceedings HE Ambassador Martin Shearman looked back over the year. He explained that the Embassy had been very busy preparing for BREXIT at the end of January and maintaining the long relationship between Belgium and UK. He cited the event for the British Community in the Grand Place hosted by the Mayor of Brussels at the end of January as one illustration of the warmth of bilateral ties. The relations between UK and Belgium go back through history as the commemorations last autumn of 75 years since the liberation of Belgium had demonstrated. He thanked the BBCA for their work to inform British residents of their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Looking ahead, the future relationship between UK and Belgium, preparing for the end of the transition period and supporting British business and residents occupy much time for the Embassy. He noted as encouraging signs as some big investments in UK by Belgian companies took place this year. Bilateral cooperation on foreign and security policy also remains important, with both countries on the UN Security Council and re-establishment of a resident Defence Attaché in the Embassy.

Regarding the UK’s departure from the EU, the Ambassador made clear that the transition period will happen at the end of the year. The UK Govt set out its approach in February to negotiations with the EU on the future relationship. It published proposals in May for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and other agreements on fisheries, law enforcement cooperation etc. These draw heavily on existing precedent. UK will no longer operate under the rules of the Court of Justice after the end of the transition period. Negotiations were currently ongoing, and it remained the UK Government’s objective to secure agreement on an FTA, though there were still significant issues to resolve.

The Embassy is preparing for 1st of January. There are many points to make clear including border issues with the ports to ensure mutual understanding of procedures as well as helping British residents in Belgium transition to their new status and obtaining new ID cards. The Belgian authorities have said that all registered British residents will receive a letter before the end of the year on obtaining their new residency card under the Withdrawal Agreement. The Embassy is pressing for early clarity on the exact procedure.

The Ambassador noted the ongoing challenge of Covid-19 to public health and the economic impact.

The Ambassador concluded by welcoming the good cooperation between the BBCA and the Embassy and thanking the BBCA for its work to support UK residents in Belgium. He looked forward to further cooperation.

Chairman’s Report 

Glenn Vaughan explained that the BBCA had had a very busy year in 2019. There were three BREXIT briefings hosted during the year which over 1200 people registered and of which around 50% attended, many joining this type of event for the first time.

The Summer Garden Party held at the Royal Brussels Cricket Club was a great success and he thanked the club, the charities and volunteers who ensured the day was a great success.

The BBCA Christmas Party was last year held at the Chatelain Hotel. Glenn thanked Tony and Angela Lowe who performed on the night as well as the British School Parents Choir for their lively Christmas songs. Glenn thanked the hotel and the BBCA social events team – Amanda Newell, Nikki Hayes and Tracie Ryan for their great organization.

Through these events the BBCA succeeded to raise 4,540 euros which was given to the charities close to the BBCA, namely the British Charitable Fund, the Royal British Legion, the Wednesday Club and the Community Help Service.

Glenn concluded by expressing his thanks to Alison Rose, ex British Ambassador to Belgium who returned to the UK last year, for her great support for the organization and many associations linked to it on behalf of the British Community.

This year the BBCA successfully hosted one BREXIT briefing which was attended by 150 people before COVID put everyone under lock down. Sadly, the Summer Party was cancelled, and these cancellations will have a negative impact on the BBCA’s ability to raise funds for the deserving charities in this hour of need.

Glenn concluded by emphasizing the BBCA’s gratitude to the Ambassador, our Patrons especially the Fry Group, ING, the British School of Brussels and Eurocity for all their support and to all the sponsors and volunteers who do great work giving their time, energy and care for the organization and the community.

Finances 

Christopher Thubron presented the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2019. The Net Worth of the BBCA was €16,069 compared with €15,134 at the end of 2018 increased by the surplus for the year of €935. The main component was the bank balance of €17,047 less outstanding debts of c.€1,000.

Income from subscriptions was stable at €4,950 and from events increased to €1,604 compared with €486. Expenses increased by a little over €500 to €1,079, due mainly to increased expenditure on development of the website leaving a excess of Income over Expenditure of €5,475 of which €4,540 was donated equally to the four associated BBCA charities leaving a surplus to carry forward of €935. 

You can access the full minutes of the meeting here.  

The Belgian Foreign ministry has issued a list of 'orange' countries, including the UK, for which a period of 14 days quarantine and taking a coronavirus test is recommended following a visit. The current orange list covers Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Portugal, Spain and the UK.

Travel to the orange zones is strongly discouraged, but not banned. Travellers returning from one of the listed countries are strongly advised to take a coronavirus test, a second test after nine days, and self-isolate for 14 days.

The foreign ministry may also apply a 'red' zone label to specific cities, districts or regions within a country if a severe COVID-19 outbreak occurs. Four whole countries are currently classified 'red': Ireland, Finland, Malta and Norway.

Travel to these red zones from Belgium is forbidden. If you return to Belgium from a red zone, you will have to take two coronavirus tests - on arrival and nine days later - and self-isolate for 14 days.

Update. In Flanders, fines of up to EUR 4 000 euros and even a prison sentence of up to six months may be applied if people do not comply with the new travel rules. This is the competency of the regions and might vary in other parts of the country.

In other travel news, SNCB will be launching an app in September that will show passengers how busy a train is before they board. And police have warned that, from this week, anyone caught not wearing a mask on SNCB trains and in stations will be fined €250 rather than a verbal caution. Federal police intend to reinforce spot checks between now and September on platforms and in trains.

The 24-metre-long vehicles uses hybrid fuel cell technology, can carry up to 137 passengers and can use tram lines while having the flexibility of a bus elsewhere. More information here.

Exchange your mag stripe tickets

It is possible to exchange your valid/ unused magnetic cards for SMS or electronic card tickets either online (from 1 July) or a DeLijn shop or point of sale.

During 2020, BBCA member the British & Commonwealth Women's Club (BCWCB), is supporting two fantastic charities:

• Parkinson’s Association Belgium who help patients and their families in all aspects of this illness.
• Giraffe Children’s Charity that provides education, from primary through to college or university, for very deprived children in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya helping them to become productive citizens. 

Would you like to help raise funds for these charities? This year the BCWCB is organising sponsored walks along “La Promenade Verte” – the Green Walk – encircling Brussels in seven stages and spaced out over several weeks in July and early September. For more information contact the BCWCB Chairperson.

You can find more information on the full walk here including detailed descriptions of the route. A complete book with maps is also available free of charge on request from Brussels Environnement.

If you would like to support these charities, you can sponsor the walkers by simply making a donation to the dedicated BCWCB Club account. Thank you! We will publish the results of the fundraising later this year.

Payment by bank transfer to: IBAN: BE04 2100 1552 7631 BIC: GEBABEBB – Mention: CHARITY WALK DONATION (very important to mention this).

On 24 June 2020 the Belgian National Security Council has agreed to move into phase 4 of the deconfinement from 1 July on the basis of the agreement of the COVID-19 expert group and the continuing good evolution of the epidemiological situation.

A translation of the press release from the Prime Minister, Sophie Wilmès is reproduced below.

The six golden rules remain in effect, namely:

• Respect for hygiene rules.
• Favouring outdoor activities.
• Taking extra precautions for those at risk.
• Respect for safety distances.
• The extended bubble rule which increases from 10 to 15 different people per week in addition to the home. As a reminder, this right is individual.
• Group activities cannot exceed 15 people, children included. This applies to all unsupervised meetings, regardless of whether they take place at home or outside the home.

It will now be possible to open under certain conditions:

• Swimming pools and wellness centres.
• Amusement parks and indoor playgrounds.
• Theatres and cinemas.
• Casinos and game rooms.
• Congress halls.
• Reception and party rooms with a maximum of 50 people.

Among the conditions is the application of protocols. In addition, the general rules which are already in force for other activities will apply such as the compulsory respect of safety distances, the establishment of time slots and crowd management, the cleaning of infrastructure and the wearing of face masks, which remains highly recommended.

Other activities cannot restart at this stage:

• Nightlife activities such as nightclubs.
• Mass events.

However, it will be possible to organise activities from 1 July in the presence of an audience, under certain conditions which are set out in protocols.

For regular events organized in permanent structures such as theatres, cinemas, galleries, congress halls, protocols will therefore be drawn up with the competent ministers and members of the expert group.

For one-off events in a public space, an online tool will be available on 1 July and will serve as a reference for local authorities in granting permits for these events. Specific rules will also have to be applied.

For all these events, there is a capacity limit set at:

• 200 people indoors.
• 400 people outside.

This capacity limit will be reassessed in August to 400 people indoors and 800 outdoors maximum, if the health situation allows. An exception may be requested for permanent infrastructure with a seated public that exceeds this limit, but is able to respect health rules.

The maximum number of outdoor participants will also apply to events. These must always be subject to an authorisation request from the local authorities. In any case, they must always be static and take place in a place where the safety distances can be respected.

In parallel, in addition to the resumption of these activities, certain protocols will be relaxed from July 1:

The possibility to go to the store with people from your contact bubble and without time limit. The safety distance always applies.

Removal of the limit on the number of stalls for markets, but health protocols and regulations should continue to apply.

Regarding the approaching National Day, the traditional military and civil parade will now take another form to comply with health regulations. Different artistic performances in symbolic places will highlight the country and its artists and will be broadcast on television. A detailed communication on the event(s) will be made later.

About the longer-term perspectives, the start of the school year is already in full preparation. The education ministers, in collaboration with the expert group, have put in place a colour-coded system that indicates how schools should organise themselves depending on the health situation. Education ministers will explain the plan in more detail at a press conference.

The full press release (in French) can be found here.

It is confirmed. All Belgian residents aged 12 and over will be entitled to a free 12-journey SNCB rail pass.

The "National Tour" pass entitles the named user to 12 free second-class journeys that can be claimed at a rate of two per month, from August to January (a return trip counts as two journeys). But the pass cannot be used during weekends in August and will not be accepted on trains before 9.00 on weekdays. Online registration for the pass should be available by the beginning of August and the passes themselves by the middle of the month.

New coronavirus stats for Belgium are no longer being published daily. Sciensano will now only release figures from Tuesday to Saturday with the Tuesday update including data for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

A second school in Schaerbeek has temporarily closed after two children tested positive for coronavirus. The Dutch-speaking municipal school plans to reopen on Wednesday. Pupils in the affected classes will not return to school until September. Last week, a nearby French-speaking school was temporarily closed.

About one in 10 workers in Belgium continue to telework.

Seven out of 10 people in Belgium are prepared to comply with a second stay-at-home order, if necessary, according to survey. Only 19% of respondents opposed the idea.

Sciensano statistics update of 20 June (Saturday). 74 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Belgium over the past 24 hours of which 18 (14%) were in Brussels. To date, a total of 60 550 confirmed cases have been reported in Belgium with 6 256 (10%) cases located in Brussels.

In the past 24 hours, 20 patients with COVID-19 have been hospitalised and 42 people left hospital. Between 15 March and 19 June, a total of 17 620 patients with COVID-19 have entered hospital and 16 771 people have left. Currently 50 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units in Belgian hospitals.

Only 2 new deaths from COVID-19 in Belgium have been reported in the past 24 hours of which none were in Brussels. To date, a total 9 696 deaths from the disease have been reported in Belgium of which 1 475 (15%) were in Brussels.

Read the daily report (in French) here.

Useful Links

Federal Government COVID-19 information

The Bulletin's COVID-19 webpage (updated daily)

The third UNICEF Lockdown Quiz has been announced! The two previous 'Lockdown’ quizzes have already raised over EUR 4000 for the international development charity's activities.

The third UNICEF ‘Lockdown’ Anagram Quiz has been tweaked to tone down the questions and, hopefully, raise the number of high scoring entries, and avoid too much brain ache for participants.

This time all the answers are the surnames of well-known world political leaders from the 20th and 21st centuries. As before, the number of letters corresponding to each clue are in parentheses and the number in bold represents the total number of letters in the leader’s name.

Answers must be received no later than midnight (CEST) on Friday 19 June and the winners will be announced on the evening of Saturday 20 June once the tie-break answer is known.

For the tie-break question this month, a sporting question has been selected: specifically a horse racing question. For the tie-break you must estimate the winning time for the Queen Alexandra Stakes that is running at 16.40pm (BST) on the 20th at Royal Ascot. Don’t worry if you know nothing about horse racing, all you need to do is estimate the winning time and, FYI, over the last 20 years this has been between 4 minutes and 45.2seconds and 5 minutes and 4.1sec. A spreadsheet with all winning times in this period can be accessed here.

The winner and ‘Political Leaders Anagram Quiz Champion’ will be the person who has the highest quiz score and whose tie-break answer (if applicable) is closest to the actual winning time.

The winner will receive three bottles of Petit Pas 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 winning time.

To participate download the quiz sheet here and please email your answers to unicefquiz@gmail.com to arrive no later than midnight CEST on Friday 19 June.

The suggested entry fee is between EUR 5 and 10 to be paid directly to the Ex-Pats for UNICEF account: BE83 3630 2680 8315.

Even if you choose not to participate in the quiz, you may wish to make a donation which would be much appreciated.

As before, money raised by UNICEF in Belgium this year will go to support the WASH (WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene) project in Rwanda.

Please feel free to distribute widely to your quiz teammates, friends and colleagues

With many thanks for your continued support in these difficult times.

COVID-19 selected news snippets for Wednesday 10 June 2020 – Beach ready?

Belgium's seaside resorts are investing in a network of 250 "smart cameras" to track of numbers on the beaches this summer. This will allow the municipalities to better anticipate potential overcrowding problems and manage the flow of people to the sands.

Motorhome suppliers are have seen a significant peak in demand from consumers. According to an Ivox survey for the Belgian Association of Caravans and Motorhomes, two-thirds of Belgians think a motorhome will be their safest way of getting around during the summer holidays.

Doctors report a 60% spike in consultations since the stay-at-home restrictions were gradually lifted.

Since last week, it is possible to ask your doctor to prescribe an antibody test, costing €9.60, to find out whether you have come into contact with the virus. According to an early batch of results only 5-10% of the serological tests came back positive indicating contact with the virus.

Sanctions for parents who do not bring their children to school will resume in September, Wallonia-Brussels education minister Caroline Désir has confirmed. From the new academic year, the compulsory school age is dropped from six to five, to include the last year of nursery school.

Ryanair says it will abolish flight change fees for bookings in July and August, so travellers can adjust their summer plans without penalty. Flights scheduled in the summer months can be moved to any date until 31 December.

And finally, a safety protocol has been approved for Belgium's sex workers to resume their activities. Hydroalcoholic gel and masks must be supplied to clients on arrival and it is recommended that both parties take a shower at the start. Bedsheets should be changed after each appointment, or bedding be used that can be wiped clean with disinfectant. The City of Brussels has not yet decided when prostitution services will resume, but Schaerbeek is planning to allow it from 15 June and Saint-Josse from 30 June.

Sciensano statistics update of 10 June. 132 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Belgium over the past 24 hours of which 18 (14%) were in Brussels. To date, a total of 59 569 confirmed cases have been reported in Belgium with 6 104 (10%) cases located in Brussels.

In the past 24 hours, 24 patients with COVID-19 have been hospitalised and 68 people left hospital. Between 15 March and 9 June, a total of 17 517 patients with COVID-19 have entered hospital and 16 392 people have left. Currently 102 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units in Belgian hospitals.

Only 10 new deaths from COVID-19 in Belgium have been reported in the past 24 hours of which 2 (20%) were in Brussels. To date, a total 9 629 deaths from the disease have been reported in Belgium of which 1 468 (15%) were in Brussels.

Read the daily report (in French) here.

Useful Links

Federal Government COVID-19 information

The Bulletin's COVID-19 webpage (updated daily)

COVID-19 selected news snippets for Monday 8 June 2020 – Welcome to Phase 3.

We hope you all had a very enjoyable and (relatively) dry weekend. Welcome to Phase 3 of Belgium’s lockdown easement.

What can I do today, that I couldn’t do on Sunday?

Meals out, gym sessions and daytrips are back on the agenda and the rules on social contacts outside your home have been eased. The previous rule of four people outside your household is now replaced by an individual limit of 10 outside contacts per week. Gatherings - at home, in a park or in a restaurant - are allowed for up to 10 people, children included.

Cafes, bars and restaurants can reopen, with a 1.5 metre distance between tables and a maximum 10 people per group. Customers should be served at their table, and staff must wear a mask.

Sports activities without contact can return to normal - both outdoors and indoors, but changing rooms and showers must remain closed.

Church services are allowed from 8 June, with a maximum 100 people.

Excursions within Belgium - a day trip or longer - can go ahead from today.

Flea markets can reopen from 8 June, with the same 50-stall limit as other markets.

It is possible to bathe in lakes, ponds and the sea in Belgium from today (8 June), but only if lifeguards are present and it stops raining.

And ICYMI

A new tax-free perk for employers and their staff is coming soon. The "consumer cheque" provides EUR 300 of spending money for restaurants, cafes, culture, sport and leisure - among the sectors worst-hit by the coronavirus shutdown. Employers can decide whether to offer the perk to workers and the cost is tax-exempt. It cannot be used online, only in person, to pay for, for example, a meal or a cinema ticket, buy a book or go to an amusement park.

Every resident in Belgium will be eligible for a free 10-journey SNCB rail pass for trips within the country up to the end of 2020. The surcharge for taking bikes on trains will also be lifted over the summer.

Sciensano statistics update of 8 June. 122 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Belgium over the past 24 hours of which 19 (16%) were in Brussels. To date, a total of 59 348 confirmed cases have been reported in Belgium with 6 075 (10%) cases located in Brussels.

In the past 24 hours, 23 patients with COVID-19 have been hospitalised and 24 people left hospital. Between 15 March and 7 June, a total of 17 477 patients with COVID-19 have entered hospital and 16 315 people have left. Currently 116 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units in Belgian hospitals.

Only 11 new deaths from COVID-19 in Belgium have been reported in the past 24 hours of which 2 (18%) were in Brussels. To date, a total 9 606 deaths from the disease have been reported in Belgium of which 1 465 (15%) were in Brussels.

Read the daily report (in French) here.

Useful links

Federal Government COVID-19 information

The Bulletin's COVID-19 webpage (updated daily)