Five years ago on 13 March, Belgium first ordered its bars and restaurants to close in what would later become a countrywide lockdown. The world has gone "back to normal" since then, but there are quite a few remnants of the pandemic in people's everyday lives – whether they realise it or not.
After being cooped up at home for nearly two years, the world opened up again and Covid-19 has seemingly been forgotten, as have the associated measures. Still, some things people now take for granted can all be traced back to the virus.
So, what's left of the pandemic in people's daily lives and how did the pandemic change Brussels?
More teleworking, fewer offices
The most concrete change for many is the ability – and permission – to work from home, virologist and interfederal Covid-19 spokesperson Steven Van Gucht told The Brussels Times. "Before the lockdowns, teleworking was theoretically possible, but nobody was doing it."
The attitude towards the practice changed massively, he said. "Before, if you worked full-time, you were expected to be in the office from Monday to Friday. Now, many people work from home at least once a week, sometimes even two or three."
"It took some adjusting, from employees and employers alike, but it is definitely here to stay," Van Gucht said. "It definitely broke through because of Covid."
A visible result of this, particularly in Brussels, is the declining number of offices. The European Commission, for example, sold off over 20 office buildings in September last year. Now, those spaces will be transformed into housing, public amenities and shops.
Brussels during the first lockdown. Credit: The Brussels Times
"When the Covid-19 crisis struck, it quickly became clear that the world after the pandemic would not be the same as the world before. With the breakthrough of teleworking, many spaces would become vacant," Alain Deneef, President of the European Quarter Fund (a think-tank which is part of the King Baudouin Foundation), said at the time.
The longer the pandemic lasted, organisations – especially larger ones such as banks, insurance and administration services – began to start working differently, he explained.
"This became particularly evident in the case of the European institutions. The European Commission occupies 70% of all EU buildings and is by far the largest of the institutions. Post-Covid, they have 25% to 30% excess office spaces."
Parking space terraces
What started as a temporary measure to support Brussels' hospitality industry has turned into a staple for many of the capital's cafes and bars: they were allowed to erect temporary terrace structures on parking spaces and pavements, without planning permission.
The regulation was initially valid until 2022, before being extended until September 2024 and now again until December 2025 – partly due to the absence of a new Regional Government.
"It is a measure that was set up during Covid-19 to support the industry. Since then, it has been extended each time due to success," said outgoing State Secretary for Urbanism Ans Persoons (Vooruit). "Normally, it was up to the new government to formulate clear guidelines. But since [the formation] is taking a bit longer, the measure is being extended."
Credit: Cabinet Pascal Smet
Contactless payments and QR codes
Paying with card or QR codes was already gaining popularity before the pandemic hit, but the fear of transmitting viruses or bacteria has given the "no cash" method a big push in Brussels.
Since 2020, the share of Belgians that reported having made a contactless card payment almost doubled, according to statistics from Febelfin. Now, four in five Belgians report preferring digital payments and over half of young people report not having made a cash payment in recent memory.
Across the Brussels-Capital Region, many businesses openly declare that they are now "cashless". Due to declining card transaction fees and easier contactless payments, businesses say that they have made offering card payments more convenient.
Speaking of QR codes, many bars and restaurants have stepped away from printed menus and instead ask clients to scan a code to see their menu or even place their orders.
Earlier closing times
Since the pandemic, quite a few bars in Brussels have adjusted their opening hours to close earlier. This is not only to do with Covid, but is a result of several successive crises that sharply increased labour costs in the sector.
"There are several reasons for this trend: wage costs have risen by 12%, but going to the bar has also simply become more expensive. As a result, we see that fewer and fewer people are doing it," said Erik Beunckens of the Federation of Cafés of Belgium.
Illustration picture shows terraces at Parvis de Saint-Gilles, in Brussels, Thursday 08 October 2020. Credit: Belga
Takeaway habits
Ordering takeaway really took off during the Covid-19 crisis. Before, the on-demand economy – pioneered by Uber, Netflix and Amazon Prime – was already important for the hospitality sector, but grew massively after people got used to ordering food when they were not allowed to leave their homes.
While the health crisis is over, those habits have stayed. Deliveroo, Just Eat and Takeaway experienced a boom in orders by locked-down consumers, but research suggests that the popularity of takeaways, meal deliveries and food-on-the-go remained above pre-pandemic levels: more than one in four people living in Brussels order takeaway meals or deliveries once or twice a week.
