Wallonia has now also coloured red on the latest update of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Covid travel map, whilst Flanders remains orange.
As a result of the deteriorating epidemiological situation in Brussels, the region turned red at the end of July. Wallonia, where cases are rising rapidly, has followed suit in the latest update, which saw the map become a lot less green.
According to the most recent figures from Sciensano, Wallonia has an incidence rate - the number of new cases per 100,000 inhabitants - of 220.9 and a positivity rate of 4.9%, and the situation has become particularly worrying in Liège, Brabant Wallon and Luxembourg.
Every Thursday, the ECDC publishes a colour-coded map of Europe based on the number of infections and the percentage of positive tests over the last fourteen days, with the 'safest' regions coloured green. The most high-risk areas are coloured dark red.
A region is given the colour red if the 14-day incidence rate exceeds 75 and the positivity ratio exceeds 4%. Another condition for receiving the red colour is if the incidence is above 200, regardless of the positivity ratio.
Updated ? maps are online!
These maps aim to support the @EUCouncil recommendation on travel measures in the EU during #COVID19 pandemic. Color-blind friendly map in the next tweet.https://t.co/CcBVx6B0o5 pic.twitter.com/MA80sJ4x9W — ECDC (@ECDC_EU) August 19, 2021
The European colour codes are an indication for the EU member states to impose conditions on return, such as obligatory quarantine or submitting negative tests. The colours are also taken into account for the admission of travellers in their own countries.
Currently, non-vaccinated people aged 12 and over who do not have a recovery certificate must be tested they return from a red zone to Belgium, however, it is possible the Belgian authorities will communicate new rules regarding the colour codes during Friday's Consultative Committee.
Related News
- The Recap: Returning Travellers Account For 1 in 3 Brussels Covid Cases
- End of Covid crisis management phase could be near, Vandenbroucke says
Looking at neighbouring countries, most of the popular holiday destinations have now coloured red. Germany suddenly has no more green zones on the map, Berlin has become a red zone, and the whole of France has coloured red or dark red.
Meanwhile, in Spain, the number of dark red zones has been reduced considerably, as Catalonia and Valencia are now red.
