Cafés that serve food in the Brussels-Capital Region will also have to close their doors for a month from today, according to the clarified new rules.
Almost all these businesses are currently still open, according to VTM News, the day after the Brussels regional government announced that all bars had to close for a month to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but restaurants could stay open.
In practice, however, the difference between a restaurant and a bar is not always clear. On Thursday, a Ministerial Decree was published to clarify that all "places for the consumption of drinks, excluding restaurants" had to close their doors.
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These places were defined, in the official text, as "places open to the public intended for the consumption of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on the spot, even if this activity is only secondary."
In particular, the decree mentions cafés, bars, any place with drinks on tap, teahouses, cafeterias, and any other place where alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are offered for consumption on the premises, meaning the strict measure also includes cafés serving food.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
