The Consultation Committee will review the measures against the spread of the corona virus on Friday afternoon – by exception from 1 p.m. About a month after the second compulsory closure, non-essential traders may gradually hope for a reopening, but the restriction on social contacts is unlikely to be significantly relaxed before the holidays. “I would not want us to lose the progress of the past four weeks on the basis of four days,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo tempered expectations in the House on Thursday.
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The Consultation Committee, which includes representatives of the federal and state governments, will meet by exception at 1 pm, which is normally only at 2 pm. It is of course not certain when the debates will be closed. Presumably the ministers aim for the evening newsreels to communicate about the decisions taken after they have have evaluated the health situation and the associated lockdown measures. Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (SP.A) said two weeks ago that it will be an “important” meeting, partly because the authorities are gradually having to decide on a strategy for dealing with the epidemic in the long term.
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The latter is therefore on the agenda today, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) confirmed on Thursday during the plenary meeting in the House. But the health situation do not allow major easing at this point, De Croo tempered expectations. “We see that the number of infections and hospitalizations is decreasing. But there is absolutely no reason to resort to behavior that would be imprudent. We have to face the fact that the road is still long and many lights are red. ” The prime minister referred to, among other things, the high occupancy rate in hospitals and the high pressure on healthcare personnel.
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Holidays
For that reason, Christmas and New Year’s parties in an extensive circle are not an option, De Croo repeated. The prime minister left little room for a temporary increase in the number of social contacts for the holidays, despite calls from, among others, CD&V chairman Joachim Coens, PS Chairman Elio Di Rupo, And his MR-collega Georges-Louis Bouchez to “a perspective on warm holidays”. “I wouldn’t want us to forfeit the progress of the past four weeks on a four-day basis,” said De Croo. “It will be more intimate, with fewer people.”
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Shops & catering
For the operators of non-essential stores, there seem to be some relaxation on the way. In most neighboring countries, the shops are already open or will open soon, which is why many compatriots are shopping abroad. Moreover, online shopping is gradually reaching its limits. The stores could reopen in the course of December, is heard here and there, but under very strict conditions to avoid hordes of end-of-year shoppers. A reopening regime is also still on the table, but only by appointment. According to the prime minister, in any case, close consultations with the provincial governors have already taken place in recent days to see how a possible reopening could happen safely.
De Croo did not say anything about the catering industry or other mandatory closed sectors such as hairdressers and beauty salons on Thursday. In any case, the prime minister wants to beware of too drastic relaxation. “If we make wrong decisions tomorrow, we will suffer the consequences the day after tomorrow. Then we will see that in the coming weeks people die who should not have died. ”
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