The latest update to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) map has seen all of Belgium return to red, again.
Thankfully, the situation we now find ourselves in is very different to the last time. This time around, increased vaccination rates will strengthen our resilience and allow us to avoid severe restrictions, which was not the case previously.
So, let's have a look at what going red ACTUALLY MEANS.
It turns out that this isn't as simple as I had hoped. Thankfully @Maajtee, our resident expert on all things Covid, was able to clear things up. She explained how the changes don't so much affect Belgium as the rest of Europe in its entirety.
Red, Orange, Green are simply representations of the rate of infection in a region at the time the figures were given. Just like the traffic light system they're based on, it's all about how people react to them.
These colours, besides being a visual representation of how countries are doing, don't really SAY a lot, and are mostly for the unvaccinated.
While Member States cannot impose extra restrictions on travellers coming from a green area, they can and have demanded a negative test and/or quarantine from (unvaccinated) people coming from orange and red zones.
Here in Belgium, non-vaccinated people aged 12 and over who do not have a recovery certificate must be tested if they return to Belgium from a red zone, on day 1 as well as on day 7 of their return. Will other countries do the same? Some already have.
Here's the story. Let @johnstonjules know what you think.
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