Sure as the rain, we now have another Covid Safe Ticket update to familiarise ourselves with. What can I say, at least there's some progress?
The prevailing opinion is that in the not-so-distant future, Brussels will begin making the pass mandatory in more situations, which is prompting businesses in the city to cry foul that Brussels is (potentially) being singled out.
From 1 October, people will likely have to present their CST to enter a restaurant or bar in Brussels, proving that they are fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative or recovered from an infection in the past six months.
The hospitality sector, however, isn't happy with that.
“Such a measure should not have any geographical limitation in Belgium, because municipalities like Vilvoorde are facing the same problems as Brussels,” Marc Van Muylders of Horeca Brussels told The Brussels Times. “The rules for the hospitality industry should be the same throughout the country.”
This gets back to the old question that has come up time and again: if Brussels authorities require the pass but residents don't want to use it, what's to stop them from leaving the city to get their way? For many in Brussels, a short trip to a neighbouring municipality could mean a CST-free dinner and drinks - a prospect that will surely appeal to some.
As Van Muylders says (lower down in the story which you should very much read)
"If it remains limited to one specific sector in one specific region, you are not boosting anything, you are just moving the problem somewhere else.”
Let @johnstonjules know (or email me j.johnston@brusselstimes.com)
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