The Council of State decided on Friday to reject the requests for an emergency suspension lodged by 25 bowling alley operators and the Belgium Billiards & Snooker Association (BBSA) against the royal decree requiring them to close because of the pandemic.
“The Council considers that the argument put forward is not serious,” the Council of State noted in its two judgments, according to Belga News Agency.
“It is clear from the Minister of the Interior's interpretation of the contested provisions in her note of defence that the closure of these halls is temporary and partial, only as far as their recreational use by the public is concerned.”
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This means that under the decree’s provision, the indoor spaces can still be used for sports activities, competitions, camps or training.
At the time of their appeal in extreme urgency, the operators of bowling, snooker and billiard halls underlined the economic difficulties that a limited opening to professional players would represent, and regretted the lack of justification provided by the government following this decision.
The Belgium Billiards & Snooker Association (BBSA) did not wish to comment on the matter yet.
