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In the second half of the summer it should be possible to organize a number of major festivals in our country again, with pre-testing and a corona passport. Infectiologist Erika Vlieghe thinks Prime Minister De Croo’s proposal is not a good idea.
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Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) had contact this weekend with the festival organizers of Tomorrowland, among others. In the second half of the summer, according to De Croo, it should be possible to organize a number of larger festivals in safe conditions. ‘By August, all adults in our country had the chance to get vaccinated. Moreover, in our country we have a great deal of expertise in the events and festival sector. These are professionals who are among the best in the world, ‘he says.
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The Consultation Committee will discuss the exact details and set the conditions for organizing major festivals on Tuesday. It is thought to grant access on the basis of the European ‘green certificate’. De Croo discussed the development of that European vaccination passport with his European colleagues during the European Council this weekend.
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GEMS chairwoman Erika Vlieghe: ‘This is at odds with our advice’
Infectiologist Erika Vlieghe, the chair of the GEMS advisory board, does not support Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s proposal to make major festivals possible from the second half of this summer. “That is completely at odds with what we had put first,” she says to the Belga news agency and on HLN.be.
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‘Just like the government, we are in favor of giving back more and more freedom to the people this summer, but for difficult to control mass events with an international public leak, we think it is really too early in August. It is completely at odds with what we had put first in our advice. I can only see that that is being pushed aside. ‘
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Vlieghe was unable to say whether there will be any talks with the governments in the run-up to Tuesday’s Consultation Committee. But politicians are in any case aware of the fact that the experts are not behind the plans, says Vlieghe. ‘The advice has been on the table for a while and it has already been said in consultation moments with the events sector.’
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Despite the concerns of the GEMS expert, Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) agrees with the festival plans. During an interview on VTM Nieuws, he talked about a ‘festival pact’ on Sunday, which would be accompanied by four conditions. For example, the number of patients in hospitals – and especially in intensive care – must have fallen ‘drastically’, says Vandenbroucke, and festivalgoers must be able to demonstrate with the European green certificate that they have been tested immune or negative.
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We now need to build up additional reserves so as not to ruin the summer.
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In addition, they should be tested every day, and according to the Forward Deputy Prime Minister, participants should be limited to only those European countries that have the epidemic under control.
But to make the whole festival pact work, we now have to be more careful ‘, as is evident from all those announcements’, says Vandenbroucke. ‘We are in a risky period. More is possible and the vaccination has not yet reached the point where we are protected, ‘he warned. ‘So if you want to live up to that festival pact, you have to build up extra reserves now so as not to ruin the summer.’
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‘Waiting for a consultation committee’
This is hopeful news for Tomorrowland fans. The organizers had postponed the dance festival to the end of the summer with reservation.
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“We are very happy that the two weekends we had in mind (late August and early September, ed.) Are possible,” says spokeswoman Debby Wilmssen. ‘Not only for us as an organization, but also for our more than 1,500 suppliers. We are all having an extremely difficult time. Let’s first wait for the right parameters from the Consultation Committee on Tuesday so that we can then give a correct interpretation of the options. ‘
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By August, all adults in our country had the chance to get vaccinated. Moreover, in our country we have a great deal of expertise in the events and festival sector.
Alexander De Croo
Premier
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Rock Werchter is also looking forward to the decision of the Consultation Committee. ‘We can make our plans concrete on that basis. There is great enthusiasm to experience live music together again this summer ‘, it says.
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Then Rock Werchter in March postponed his edition was that with the option to come up with a smaller alternative around the end of the summer.
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Pukkelpop, which takes place in the second half of August, had not yet canceled its edition. ‘We have always hoped to organize Pukkelpop in its most trusted form, but are dependent on the evolution of the virus and the framework provided by the government. That is finally coming ‘, the festival spokesperson responds.
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