Even though the Brussels Government approved the legal framework to expand the use of the Covid Safe Ticket (CST) on the second reading on Sunday, the official entry into force on 1 October could still be delayed.
Following Sunday's approval, the texts have now been sent to the Brussels parliament, which will consider the ordinances on Tuesday in committee and Thursday in plenary, aiming to have it enter into force on Friday 1 October.
But for the plenary session on Thursday, the opinions of the Council of State and the Data Protection Authority are still missing, the chair of the Brussels Parliament Rachid Madrane confirmed to Bruzz.
What will happen next is still unclear, but the Brussels Government will officially communicate on the issue tomorrow/Tuesday, the cabinet of Minister-President Rudi Vervoort confirmed to The Brussels Times.
Related News
- Vaccination appointments increase five-fold in Wallonia following introduction of Covid Safe Tickets
- Brussels will offer free PCR test for people vaccinated before 31 October
- Covid Safe Ticket not enough to convince Brussels' unvaccinated
Even if the ordinance will not be approved in time, the authorities are reportedly still considering applying the CST from 1 October, and approving it in parliament retroactively, a week later.
In practice, this would mean that no sanctions could be issued during that period of a week, but the Brussels Government had previously indicated that a transitional grace period would apply until mid-October.
The expansion of the CST is both temporary and pinned on certain sectors, such as the hospitality industry, nightlife, sports and fitness centres, trade fairs and congresses, the cultural sector and residential care centres, and events for more than 50 people indoors and more than 200 people outdoors.
Last week, Wallonia announced that it would also expand the use of the Covid Safe Ticket (CST) in certain sectors in the entire region for everyone aged 16 or over from mid-October.
Flanders, meanwhile, is expected to decide on the issue on Monday.
