The Covid Safe Ticket (CST) will "clearly" soon be introduced across certain sectors in Wallonia, confirmed Walloon Health Minister Christie Morreale on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Walloon government is scheduled to meet and adopt a position on introducing the CST in the coming weeks.
However, there is a "consensus among Walloon ministers" on the CST's implementation, including from ministers of the Francophone liberal MR party, according to Morreale.
"Yes, clearly yes," she replied to questions about whether it was certain the CST would become required in the region on Bel RTL. "Yes, I think everyone knows that we are moving towards a CST."
Morreale mentioned an entry into force in all the sectors listed at the Consultative Committee last Friday, "as soon as the cooperation agreement is voted," adding that "it can be quick. It could be within two weeks of the decision."
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Once the system takes effect, people will be required to show their CST to prove that they are fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative or recovered from an infection in the past six months.
"The CST is requested by many organisers in the hospitality and events sectors. In the cultural sector, they even applied it before the rule was in force," she said, adding that she thinks it reassures people and contributes to health safety.
"On the whole, it allows people to return to a more normal life and to avoid the transmission of the virus," Morreale added. "Yes, it should be applied to the proposed sectors, as in other countries. In the majority of European countries, this has been done very smoothly."
Flanders will also look into a possible expansion of the CST in the region this week, Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon confirmed at Friday's Consultative Committee meeting. The exact timing, however, has yet to be communicated.
Ahead of the Committee meeting, Jambon already stated that he was open to applying the CST in certain situations deemed “useful and necessary,” such as in healthcare facilities and in the municipalities just outside the Capital Region.
Brussels, meanwhile, already announced its intention to expand the CST scheme to the hospitality industry, the nightlife sector, sports and fitness centres, trade fairs and congresses, and the cultural sector from 1 October, in the hope that it would boost the vaccination rate in the region.
More information about the expansion and the use of the CST across Belgium can be found here.
