From next Friday, Brussels will impose stricter quarantine rules on travellers arriving from a red zone within the European Union due to the increasing number of new Covid-19 patients in the Capital Region's hospitals.
From 17 September, people who have not been (fully) vaccinated or do not have a recovery certificate and will stay in Brussels after coming to Belgium from a red zone, must undergo a 10-day quarantine period.
The quarantine can be shortened if the test result on day 7 is negative, the Brussels health authorities (Cocom) announced on Friday.
"This is about people who have their residence or accommodation address in Brussels, meaning it concerns both residents and tourists," Inge Neven, head of the Brussels health inspectorate, told The Brussels Times.
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"This was originally a federal measure that was then lifted," she added. "We asked for it to be reintroduced, but there was no enthusiasm for it, so we reintroduced it only in Brussels after approval from the Interministerial Health Conference on Wednesday."
This requirement comes on top of the already existing federal obligation for unvaccinated people without a recovery certificate to get tested on days 1 and 7 upon arrival from a red zone within the EU/Schengen area or from a red zone on the white list of non-European countries.
The authorities also stressed the importance of correctly filling out the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) before arrival in Belgium to allow a proper follow-up to take place, such as instructions concerning tests and quarantine.
