Now that the Antwerp provincial coronavirus measures are no longer in force, City of Antwerp Mayor Bart De Wever also shared a series of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus in the city.
Most of the local measures which took effect on 1 September had been once introduced before, for example before the provincial measures were in place, and complement the federal measures.
"Because of the specific city context, and in order to guarantee the safety and health of everyone in Antwerp as well as possible, the mayor considers it appropriate to impose certain additional measures, on top of the measures in place by the higher authorities," the city stated.
The rules include the obligation for all people over the age of 12 to always have a face mask with them on the public domain for those 12 years of age or older.
In Antwerp, this mask must be worn in buildings open to the public, on public transport (and on platforms) and in shops, as imposed by the federal government, but also in container parks and in busy places where constantly guaranteeing a social distance of 1.5 metres is not possible.
Additionally, the sale of alcohol for take-away consumption remains prohibited between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, the use of a hookah (to smoke shisha with, usually shared among friends), and the joint use of food, drink or tobacco in public or establishments open to the public are also prohibited.
Reception halls may be reopened, but only until 1:00 AM.
"Despite the downward trend in the number of infections, the coronavirus continues to circulate and the risk of infection is still real," the city added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
