Home » News » Virologist Erika Vlieghe: “I might not recommend going on holiday with grandma or grandpa this summer”

Virologist Erika Vlieghe: “I might not recommend going on holiday with grandma or grandpa this summer”

“We planned a trip with 15 nice friends and their children in Italy,” says Sam from Antwerp. “But then of course came corona. Then quickly canceled our trip and looked for an alternative in the Ardennes for our gang. That would be early August. But is that 15 adults and 15 children, between zero and six years, a good one idea? Is that allowed? ”

“I’m going to double check it anyway,” says Erika Vlieghe. “It is not yet entirely clear whether holiday homes of that size may be rented out. That has not yet been published in the official journal. It may be that these holiday homes are asked to organize so that there can be a maximum of 15 people. Children are also persons and are therefore part of it. The idea is to have close contact with as few people as possible. You can imagine that it is difficult on holiday with 15 people. One morning you are having breakfast with person A, the next with person B. Unless, of course, you decide to rent three separate houses and do a few activities together from a safe distance. “

On a camp, not on a family holiday

What about families leaving on vacation with different generations? “In the meantime, a lot of ink and tears have already flowed about grandparents. The Ministry of Welfare has made a charter for this. Seniors can use this to see whether it is a good idea to have close contact with others. The most important thing is how healthy you are being yourself and how healthy your children and grandchildren are.Letting your children go to camp first, where they might get sick, and then having close contact with their grandparents might not be a good idea.I think going on holiday with grandma and grandpa might not be a good idea this summer anyway. But it all depends on your health. “

Why are children allowed to go on camp with 50, but not with 30 on vacation? “We now know that children under the age of 12 probably have not been the engine of the epidemic. At camp, it is youth among themselves. The supervisors are often still young people who, if they get sick, do not get too seriously ill. But parents and grandparents are more vulnerable, which is why strict rules still apply to get in contact with as few people as possible, which does not mean that you cannot see each other from a safe distance, but that is a bit difficult on holiday. organize a day trip with friends where you can make it fun from a distance? Fine, do that for sure! But that doesn’t seem obvious on a longer holiday. “

So Sam might see his vacation fall into the water after all. “But don’t hesitate to contact the owner of the residence,” says Vlieghe. “Maybe there are possibilities to spread the bubbles a bit further in the enclosure or he has already taken other precautions.”

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