Belgian cinemagoers left worried by the newest rules on masks can rest easy, after clarification from the government what while masks will be required, they can be taken off to eat.
As of Saturday, the government has made face masks mandatory in cinemas – as well as in shops, theatres, libraries and other enclosed spaces – in the fight against the new coronavirus (Covid-19). The specifics of the ban, however, drew concern from the public over how it would impact simple things like trying to eat popcorn.
The Cabinet of Minister of the Interior Pieter De Crem (CD&V) specified this after the ministerial decision on the extension of the mouth mask obligation was published in the Dutch Bulletin of Acts, Orders and Decrees on Friday evening.
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This rule will be fully clarified in the list of questions and answers (FAQ) that is traditionally adapted after the publication of a new ministerial decree.
"The FAQ will contain a provision allowing the mouth mask to be removed for the period necessary to consume", according to the De Crem Cabinet.
Cinema operator Kinepolis had previously requested that the oral masks should only be compulsory during the movement through the buildings, as in neighbouring Luxembourg and France. In the auditorium itself, visitors should be able to take off the mouth masks, Kinepolis thought.
The Brussels Times
