Blankenberge –
The National Security Council announced new measures on Thursday to deal with the corona crisis. One is that local mayors can now also take local initiatives. And they do, especially on the coast. An overview:
–
OVERVIEW. The National Security Council decided this on Thursday
WEST FLANDERS
Wearing a mouth mask is mandatory on the Zeedijk van Blankenberge, Mayor Daphne Dumary (N-VA) confirms. “It is sometimes very busy on the Zeedijk, just like in the shopping area. To create clarity, we therefore make wearing a mouth mask mandatory for the core shopping area and the Zeedijk. That way everyone knows where he or she stands. ”
Also Nieuwpoort makes the use of a mask on the Zeedijk mandatory. “The playing time is over. It is serious now if we want to prevent the spread of the virus, ”says mayor Geert Vanden Broucke (CD&V).
A number of other municipalities such as Oostende, Rooster in Middelkerke previously made masks mandatory on weekly markets. “But it doesn’t stop there,” says Middelkerk’s mayor Jean-Marie Dedecker (LDD). “There is plenty of space on the beach and the dike. We still have to let people live a little bit. ”
Also Knokke stick to federal measures for the time being. The board will determine on Friday which streets count as shopping streets.
Oostende announced on Wednesday that oral masks are mandatory on all markets and in the shopping streets: Kapellestraat, Adolf Buylstraat, Wittenonnenstraat, Vlaanderenstraat, Wapenplein, Christinastraat and the James Ensorgalerij. The use on the seawall, the Visserskaai, the entertainment areas and other busy places is strongly recommended.
On the vast beach or the dike of Zeebrugge sun beaters should not wear a mask. “We had previously decided that a windshield should be placed between each beach cabin,” said mayor Dirk De fauw (CD&V). “That way, separate bubbles are shielded anyway.”
Koksijde, Veurne, De Panne in Nieuwpoort also decided to set up a local network together to immediately start informing the people with whom the infected person came into contact in case of infections.
From Saturday, wearing a mouth mask is mandatory throughout the city center of Brugge, as mayor Dirk De fauw reported to Focus-WTV. “We are going to make that clear to tourists with pictograms,” it says.
ANTWERP
On Wednesday, Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA) already announced that, among other things, a mouth mask requirement will be introduced in all publicly accessible areas in the city, as well as a ban on gatherings with more than ten people. Read more here.
LIMBURG
From Saturday, mouth masks are mandatory in the city center of Hasselt. The obligation applies to the zone within and on the Green Boulevard, in the station area and on the Blue Boulevard. “We have always followed the guidelines of the federal government and are doing that again. We were prepared to act quickly, ”says Mayor Steven Vandeput (N-VA).
In Genk the city council has scheduled a meeting on Friday about a possible obligation. “We are also considering making it mandatory in the city center. Our city center is different from Hasselt, for example with supra-local trading places, ”says Dries. “It is also important to see how we can maintain it, otherwise it makes little sense.”
Elsewhere in Limburg, the ships’ college of Lommel decided not to organize fun fairs all August. This then specifically concerns the fairgrounds in Kattenbos, Werkplaatsen and Lommel-Centrum. For other activities in August, an event-by-event review will take place to determine what can and cannot take place, and what precautions are required.
–
