After 11:00 PM, there is a potential drop in vigilance regarding precautionary measures, inter-federal spokesman Yves Van Laethem said on Monday, explaining the reasoning behind the new closing time for Brussels' bars and cafés.
With the Covid-19 epidemic rebounding, this weekend Brussels took stricter measures than those announced at the last National Security Council.
It is clear that a number of Covid-19 outbreaks have been detected in bars in Belgium, some of which have led to many people getting infected, according to Van Laethem.
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"But the relative importance of the infection in bars remains poorly known in our country," he admitted, stressing that it was therefore difficult to know what role bars played in the spread of the epidemic.
However, several scientific reports show "that in Asia (in Korea, for example), the United States, Canada or other European countries, bars are one of the factors that can play a role (in the spread of the virus)," Van Laethem said.
The spokesman called on everyone to take responsibility for not retreating to private parties to compensate for this early closure, while gatherings of more than ten people remain prohibited day and night throughout the country.
The Brussels Times
