Belgium will not open its borders to travellers from the 15 countries that were on the EU white list from 7 July, the country's core cabinet decided on Monday.
The European Union recommended to its member states that they could lift travel restrictions for 15 countries from 1 July, but every country could set up their own timeline to (partly) adopt the EU decision.
Initially, Belgium postponed the reopening of borders to 7 July at the earliest, and stated that it was "not certain" that travellers from all 15 countries would be allowed in. On Monday, it was decided that the country's borders will remain closed for a while longer, it was confirmed to The Brussels Times.
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The white-listed EU countries are Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. China is also on the list, but is subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
According to the government, there are still too many health problems in those countries, or there is no reciprocity, meaning Belgians also are not allowed to travel there.
If Belgium's neighbouring countries do decide to allow travellers from those 15 countries, there will be unannounced border checks to make sure they do not enter Belgium, reports VRT.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
