Faced with the measures decided on Thursday night by the National Security Council, including the suspension of school classes, the Belgian parent association "La Ligue des Familles" is calling for support to parents left in limbo.
"Parents wish to do well and they understand the need to take strong measures, but what about those who have to work and cannot leave the kids with the grandparents? This is blurry,” the League’s Director General Christophe Cocu exclaimed.
"We cannot ask parents to use up all of their paid leave — assuming they have enough left — during this 5-week period, in addition to other school holidays. Unpaid leave is not financially tenable for families. And telework is not possible for all functions, and is not obvious in the case of young children," Cocu said.
The association is calling the government to establish a special paid leave scheme for parents facing this situation. "France and Spain have done so. it is possible. It is now urgent to move forward in this direction," Cocu added.
The Brussels Times
