Flemish municipalities around Brussels in doubt about extra corona restrictions
Municipalities such as Vilvoorde, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Asse and Wemmel are hesitating to follow the general Flemish guideline and go ahead with major relaxations. This is because they are stuck between two chairs.
The municipalities are situated on Flemish soil but have a strong link with Brussels, as they are situated just at the edge of the Brussels Region. They often have a vaccination rate well below the Flemish average of 90 percent of the adult population.
In municipalities such as Wemmel, Asse, Machelen, Vilvoorde, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Zaventem, Kraainem and Drogenbos, less than 70 percent of local residents has received a first jab. Should they follow the Flemish example, or should they play safe(r) and go for the Brussels example?
Face masks and Covid Safe Ticket
Mouth masks may remain mandatory after 1 October in some of the above-mentioned municipalities. Some are also considering extra restrictions, with the focus on extending the corona passport or Covid Safe Ticket, as Vilvoorde mayor Hans Bonte had proposed earlier. But not everyone is of the same opinion when it comes to the exact time frame and implementation.
Jan Desmeth (Sint-Pieters-Leeuw) thinks a Covid Safe Ticket can be a good tool to boost the vaccination rate, but says that the municipalities should speak as one, adopting one policy to avoid confusion.
Koen Van Elsen (Asse) also thinks about a corona passport in more places, but first wants to wait two weeks, to see whether residents from the Brussels Region will come to the surrounding areas or not to escape the stricter Brussels rules. Walter Vansteenkiste (Wemmel) also wants to wait and see first.
We should speak as one to avoid confusion