Shopping limited to 30 minutes tops
New Flemish corona measures were introduced at midnight one day early after the publication of federal secondary legislation yesterday. Many of the measures that are detailed in the accompanying article close down sporting and cultural activities, but the measures also mean that any visit to one particular shop will be limited to 30 minutes in future.
The measures taken by Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels also needed to be examined together to ensure there were no clashes. PM De Croo earlier spoke with all the regional leaders. The final decision and publication of the secondary legislation needed to occur at the federal level as in law the regions do not possess the powers to introduce corona measures. PM De Croo was eager to ensure everything was done legally so that there could be no disputes later on. The secondary legislation required to introduce the measures needs to be published by the federal interior minister.
This happened on Wednesday night and the new secondary legislation was published in Belgium’s official gazette making it the law.
One big difference remains between the regions: Flanders did not follow Brussels and Wallonia in extending the nightly curfew to 10AM to 6AM. In Flanders the curfew remains in force from midnight to 5AM. Nobody is allowed out except for work-related journeys and to either give or seek assistance.
Flanders and Brussels have closed theatres, cinemas and museums too. This isn’t yet the case in Wallonia, but southern Belgium is expected to follow suit.