From next Monday onwards, people strolling the shopping streets in the City of Ghent will no longer be required to wear a face mask, according to Mayor Mathias De Clercq (Open VLD).
The shopping streets are the last part of the city where the rule still applies.
That rule will be abolished on 30 August, reports De Standaard.
“We still advise people to put on their masks when there are crowds of people or when it is no longer possible to keep a distance,” said De Clercq.
Requirements to wear masks in public began to be phased out earlier this summer.
On June 9, the requirement was limited to the shopping area and school vicinities, and since July 1, it is no longer required to wear a mask in school environments either.
The removal of the mask requirement for shopping areas comes after consultation with medical experts but masks are still required inside the shops themselves as well as on public transport.
“Everyone has had the chance to be vaccinated,” said De Clercq.
“It is now everyone's responsibility to decide for themselves when to wear a mask in public places.”
The Brussels Times
