Wedding planners have spoken out against the latest round of lockdown relaxations, saying their lack of clarity is a new blow to business which comes just ahead of the busy summer period.
"Today, the number of weddings on schedule was still at 20%, from tomorrow, it will be 0%," HL België, a Belgian wedding planners association wrote in a press release.
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HL said that the new rules have caused confusion among couples and amount to a "slap in the face" for the wedding industry at the same time as leaders gave the go-ahead for some events and gatherings.
"Our phone is ringing off the hook, as is all of our colleagues'; couples do not understand the rules and ask why their wedding cannot take place but a performance with 200 people can," HL wrote.
At Wednesday's National Security Council leader laid out the dates and conditions for some cultural events and religious gatherings to restart, some as soon as next week.
But the new round of relaxations brought no respite to a sector already badly hit by a wave of spring wedding cancellations throughout the lockdown.
"It is irresponsible and inexcusable to have had no clear perspectives for 3 months and are now unable to restart," the group wrote. "We are disappointed and angry at the way the government works in the current crisis."
The association called on leaders to provide concrete answers for a potential restart or said that support measures should be rolled out to avoid a wave of bankruptcies.
The Brussels Times
