Belgium Health Minister: International Travel Ban Should Be Lifted on April 18

The ban imposed by Belgium authorities on cross-border travel should be lifted on April 18, as expected, the Federal Health Minister, Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit), has insisted.

He made these comments in an interview for VTM News while refusing to speculate if it might be possible for all residents of the Flemish Region of Belgium to be vaccinated at least with the first jab by July 11.

Currently, the number of vaccinated persons stands at 1.1 million or about 20 per cent of the adult population, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

“I am always careful with dates because we are so dependent on suppliers,” Vandenbroucke said.

Authorities in Belgium have announced that they will ease the measures imposed to stop the spread of the virus in the weeks to come, including the reopening of the country’s borders.

In this regard, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, on April 14, stressed that they “have chosen for a prudent but realistic opening”.

The country’s Prime Minister previously announced that the ban imposed on unnecessary travel to and from Belgium would be lifted on April 19.

However, he stressed that all persons wishing to enter Belgium from territories significantly affected by the virus, which are included in the red zone, will be required to follow compulsory quarantine requirements and get tested upon their arrival and the seventh day of their return.

“I want to stress that this is really not the moment to start travelling. It is really not,” De Croo pointed out.

Belgium’s PM believes that the current system will be kept in place until the country starts issuing Digital Green Certificates, which is currently under development by the European Union Commission in order to make the travelling process easier for all persons who have taken the vaccine against the Coronavirus.

Since March 24, authorities in Belgium have imposed stricter rules in a bid to prevent an upsurge in the number of Coronavirus infections after the government introduced the so-called Easter pause.

Last month, the European Commission urged Belgium’s government to put an end to the ban on unnecessary travel, which is set to last until April 18. Still, authorities in Belgium didn’t approve such a recommendation, as according to them, the increased number of COVID-19 infections did not permit such a decision to be taken.

Even though the number of infection cases is currently decreasing in the country, the number of deaths is still rising, while hospitals are reporting a high number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care.

Belgium is the 26th most infected country worldwide from the Coronavirus pandemic, with a total of 935,316 cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic. The country has reported over 23,600 cases of death, Worldometers’ statistics show. More than 60,320 have fully recovered, while there are 851,393 active cases reported in Belgium.

Belgium’s government previously announced its plans for reopening at the beginning of March, but an increase in the number of infections caused by the virus’ British variant didn’t allow for such a decision to take effect.

Last month, the Belgian State Council not only rejected the proposal to suspend the ban imposed on unnecessary travel but decided to extend it until April 1, 2021.