BRUSSELS (AP) – Belgium bans all leisure travel abroad for its citizens from next week until March, in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19 and its virulent variants.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Friday that “when people travel, the virus travels with them.”
He said visitors from Britain, South Africa and South America will have to quarantine for ten days to make sure they do not bring dangerous variants to Belgium.
The move came a day after the 27 European Union leaders said borders within the bloc had to remain open to ensure the essential transport and movement of workers, but allowed member states to take other measures they considered necessary.
In Belgium, only essential family and humanitarian travel will be allowed from next week until March. Over the past year, Belgium has experienced a rebound in cases after the popular holidays due to returning travelers. February is the most traditional month for Belgians to go skiing in the Alps or fly south to warm up.
The EU itself is also preparing measures that should make travel difficult, including the introduction of new cross-border “dark red areas”, where infection rates are particularly high and where all non-essential travel should be discouraged. Travelers in these areas may have to undergo tests before departure and be isolated when arriving elsewhere.
One of the most affected countries in Europe, Belgium has reported more than 686,000 confirmed infections and 20,620 coronavirus-related deaths.
Over the past few weeks, Belgium has been able to contain the spread of the virus better than many other EU nations and De Croo said he did not want to put it at risk by allowing him to travel during the holidays throughout the next critical month.
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