Event organisers in Belgium will be allowed to issue a voucher instead of a refund for events cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic until the end of the year.
Federal Work Minister Nathalie Muylle announced Monday that the voucher scheme would be extended until the end of 2020.
Muylle said that the move was approved in order to give the events and culture sector some "necessary breathing space," as the industry strives to recover from the economic blow of the pandemic.
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The scheme's extension was also approved in an effort to keep the Belgian cultural offering "flourishing" throughout the long term, Muylle added.
The scheme will apply to all events that had to be rescheduled or cancelled due to the coronavirus lockdown or to the restrictions imposed on public gatherings after it was lifted.
Even after restrictions were relaxed, several members of the events and arts and culture sector reported heavy losses as their activities came to a halt amid the pandemic.
A string of demonstrations for increased support for the sector staged throughout the lockdown followed a winter of protests against cultural subsidy cuts announced by the Flemish government but which also impact Flemish-funded artists based in Brussels.
The Brussels Times
