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Due to the flare-up of the corona epidemic, the province of Antwerp is looking at additional corona measures. Plans for catering and working from home were on the table, but it seems that Antwerp is waiting for what is still in the national pipeline.
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Antwerp governor Cathy Berx is meeting with the provincial crisis cell about the corona situation today. With more than 3,300 new cases in the past week, there is again cause for concern. In the city of Antwerp there were 1,602 cases.
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On Monday evening, Berx held consultations with some 150 mayors. There she gave an insight into the plans that are on the table to tackle the crisis. The first element is what has been decided at the Flemish level. All indoor sports with contact are prohibited.
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The intention would also be to keep the schools open as much as possible. There was talk of teleworking becoming the norm all over the province again.
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Equalization of catering
According to our information, there was discussion about the catering industry. The governor is said to have proposed to equalize cafes and restaurants. That is to say: both closed at 11 pm and a maximum of four at the table. This is now the national rule for cafes, while restaurants are allowed to stay open until 1 am and people can dine with ten. A number of mayors turned out to be more in favor of the track launched by the sector itself. All cafes and restaurants close at midnight, with a maximum of six at the table. But the discussion has not been cut through, because it pointed to what is nationally possible.
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In Wetstraat circles, it is rumored that the coronabarometer will be launched on Friday. That is the manual in which the epidemic is divided into phases – depending on how bad the virus is raging – and a fixed set of corona rules is linked to them each time. Provinces and mayors no longer have to take measures à gogo themselves. They can then uniformly pick the same interventions from the barometer.
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Berx would have received the message from a liberal corner that the federal government of Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) may join in on Friday. And that it would not be wise to come up with new catering rules in Antwerp on Wednesday, if they come Friday anyway. The governor would expect some additional steps from the federal level, and the intention now would be to await them.
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‘Keep it simple, keep it stupid’
Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA) also said that he is not in favor of separate measures. ‘It is the federal government’s duty to bring order and clarity, where the previous government failed miserably in my opinion. Nobody can follow this course: a harmonica of measures creates confusion and the support of the population is lost. Keep it simple, keep it stupid, must be central. ‘
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Nobody can follow this route: a harmonica of measures creates confusion and the support of the population is lost. Keep it simple, keep it stupid, must be central.
