Covid: in Belgium, the ban on non-essential travel goes badly
Audio 01:10
An unemployed young man, one of the “Covid boys”, patrols the center of Brussels to give advice and disinfect the hands of passers-by, January 20, 2021 REUTERS - JOHANNA GERON
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Belgian authorities have decided that non-essential travel will be banned throughout the month of February.
An expected decision, taken in consultation with the regional and linguistic governments of this federal kingdom, which applies to all trips abroad, the European Union included.
The ambition is obviously to prevent new super-contaminating events, such as the returns of the Belgians who had gone skiing in the Alps last year.
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With our correspondent in Brussels,
Pierre Benazet
Belgium resisted the second wave of the virus better than the first, but it fears an outbreak of infections with the arrival of new variants of the coronavirus.
This justification does not suit Younès who will leave for Spain as soon as the ban is lifted.
“
It bothers me a bit, honestly, because I want to go.
Since the time that we lived this, we wanted a change of scenery, we wanted to take vacations and it is still closed.
Afterwards, I understand that it will spread less, but with the variant we have today, it is not a trip that will stop the spread.
"
For his part, Guillaume had planned to go to Morocco with twenty friends.
He had to give it up, and he understands the fears associated with returning trips.
“
If we keep leaving the country and coming back, we have a better chance of catching the coronavirus.
Afterwards, on the other hand, I find it hard and I find that for our economy it would be better not to be so hard.
"
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See also: Belgium passes the 20,000 coronavirus death milestone
The ban on leaving Belgium also weighs on Alexandru who wanted to take his daughter to Romania.
: “
We do not understand all these measures which are not very consistent with each other.
That people are lugging the bus side by side like sardines and that in the planes it will not pass.
There are things that don't make perfect sense.
"
There are half a dozen exemptions considered essential travel, but the acceptance of these new restrictions by the Belgians seems rather weak.
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Read also: Covid-19: Belgium bans non-essential travel
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