The Brussels municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean is reintroducing the requirement to wear a face mask in public places during the month of April, a new police regulation shows.
While the switch to 'code yellow' on the coronavirus barometer meant the end of the face mask obligation (except on public transport and in healthcare institutions) in all of Belgium, Molenbeek is making them mandatory on busy streets again.
"They are not mandatory in all of Molenbeek, but only on crowded streets and places where many people gather," Rachid Barghouti, spokesperson for Molenbeek mayor Catherine Moureaux, confirmed to The Brussels Times.
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In practice, people aged 12 and over will have to wear a mask on the Rue de Ribaucourt, Chaussée de Ninove, Chaussée de Gand, Parvis Saint-Jean-Baptiste, in the street of the municipal Covid-19 test-centre and also in the street of the municipal vaccination centre. Masks are also mandatory at all markets and fairs, as well as in municipal buildings.
According to the police regulation, published on the municipality's website, the measure already took effect on 1 April, and is valid until 30 April. Those who do not comply can be fined up to €350 by the police.
Preventative measure
The mask is temporarily being reintroduced "as a preventative measure" due to the recent increase in the number of Covid-19 infections in the municipality, said Barghouti.
While Molenbeek still has the lowest incidence (448 confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks) in the Capital Region, it is among the municipalities with the strongest increases in infections, with a 19% rise compared to last week.
The regulation also cites the municipality's relatively low vaccination rate as a reason to introduce masks in crowded places again: just 49% of the entire population is fully vaccinated (64% of the adult population). For the entire Brussels-Capital Region, 62% of the population is vaccinated (74% of adults).
