With Ascension kicking off a long weekend for many people, the coronavirus crisis sees even more businesses in Belgium closed than on a normal bank holiday.
As with other public holidays, public and administration services, such as postal services, will not operate, and neither will banks.
Restaurants, bars and cafes are still closed, and will not open again before 8 June, at the earliest.
Carrefour shops will be open on Thursday, as well as some of Delhaize’s smaller Shop’n’Go markets, but Aldi, Lidl and Colruyt shops will remain mostly closed.
Most shopping malls and retail shops will be shut down as well, including the Woluwe Shopping Center and Docks Bruxsel. They will, however, not stay closed for the long weekend, and open their doors again on Friday and Saturday.
Most other stores on the Rue Neuve in Brussels, will also close their doors on Thursday, but reopen again on Friday. Others, such as vintage clothing shops Melting Pot Kilo at the Bourse and the Marolles, however, remain open.
Museums have been allowed to reopen again since 18 May, but many of them, such as the Horta Museum, the Museum of the City of Brussels and the MIMA, announced that they would wait for later dates.
Others, among which the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, the Van Buuren Museum, and the Africa Museum will receive visitors. Tickets will have to be bought online and in advance, to comply with the strict conditions of the National Security Council.
Parks will also be open, but sitting down, picnicking or sunbathing is not allowed. Enjoying the sun will only be possible while exercising.
Additionally, most delivery or takeaway restaurants, including most frites shops and Gaston's Ice Cream in Sainte-Catherine, will also be open.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
