Of all the possible stories I thought December could bring, I can comfortably (naively?) say that I didn't think we'd be scrambling to get trips booked in fear of a travel ban.
To be clear, there isn't any indication as of yet that it will happen, but that doesn't mean that it won't.
To be honest, that's kind of the issue here.
As it stands, the threat of stricter rules casts a dark and potentially devastating shadow for those who were hoping to spend the last weeks of 2021 back in their home country. These could be travel, testing, quarantines, or...
Nothing at all.
We just don't know. The next meeting of Belgium's Consultative Committee is set for mid-December, with an aim to assess how we are doing by then and how we should proceed.
Does that give you peace of mind? Or just a date to wait to plan your travel?
Let @johnstonjules know.
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1. Non-vaccinated people urged to avoid regions where new variant is circulating
People not yet vaccinated against the coronavirus have been advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to postpone travel to regions where variants of concern are circulating, specifically the Omicron variant. Read more.
2. Getting curves down by Christmas will be a ‘difficult task,’ says Van Gucht
Even though the rise in coronavirus infections in Belgium is slowing down a little, it will be a “difficult task” to get the curves down by Christmas, says virologist Steven Van Gucht. Read more.
3. Belgium relaunches Qvax reserve list for booster doses from tomorrow
Belgium will relaunch the Qvax reserve list for coronavirus vaccines again from Thursday 2 December, allowing people to register for their booster dose earlier. Read more.
4. Belgium surpasses 27,000 mark for Covid-19 deaths
On average, more than 40 people are dying as a result of coronavirus in Belgium on a daily basis, and the country has now surpassed a major mark when it comes to the number of Covid-19 deaths. Read more.
5. TUI repatriates over 2,300 Belgian customers from Morocco
This week, the TUI fly travel group will repatriate 2,377 of its Belgian customers from Morocco to Belgium, the company announced in a press release on Tuesday. Read more.
6. ‘Week of the Friet’: New statue of man eating Belgian fries unveiled in Bruges
As Belgium prepares to celebrate the “Week of the Friet” paying homage to the country’s famous fries, a statue called De Frieteters (the fry eater) was unveiled in Bruges over the weekend. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: One of the world’s oldest cafés
It’s the oldest café in Bruges. One of the oldest in the world. Opened in 1515, it has survived wars, revolutions, and hordes of British tourists. And now it has come back from the dead following a global pandemic. Here's more.
