After the Easter holidays, travel – within Europe – will be allowed again, although it is still strongly discouraged. This confirms the new ministerial decision with the corona measures that was published today.
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‘Non-essential trips abroad are prohibited for persons who have their main residence in Belgium.’ Thus reads the beginning of Article 21 of the ministerial decree that contains the corona measures.
Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) recently published an update of the MB in the Belgian Official Journal. In it, that article will be replaced from Monday 19 April, the day after the end of the Easter holidays.
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From then on, the regulation for the prohibition of non-essential travel will again apply, namely that persons outside the EU are not allowed to undertake non-essential travel to our country. But the ban for Belgians to go on holiday to EU countries has thus been abolished.
Criticism of Europe
The ban was introduced on January 27 and each time extended. After Friday’s Consultation Committee, it was again extended to April 18. But that is the last extension. In a live session on Facebook after the Consultation Committee, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) already hinted at the end of the travel ban. “We assume that after the Easter holidays we will have other systems to test and control quarantine,” he said.
The travel ban met with increasing criticism from the European Commission, which wants to maintain the free movement of persons within the EU as much as possible. On Friday, Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders reiterated this in our country.
Non-essential trips abroad will continue to be strongly discouraged, the ministerial decision also makes clear. Anyone who returns from a red zone and stayed there for more than 48 hours will in any case be required to test and a quarantine.
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