Brussels to spend New Year’s Eve under curfew

The decision was approved by all 19 mayors of the region

There will be no exception to the existing curfew for Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Brussels, as the regional Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort announced on Twitter. This means that locals should be home between 22:00 in the evening and 6:00 on the next day, in accordance with the existing measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Spending the holidays in private

The Prime Minister of Brussels has consulted the decision with the mayors of all 19 municipalities, belonging to Brussels-Capital region, including the mayor of the city of Brussels. He had previously announced on 10 December an extension of the existing curfew in the capital until 15 January at least, just like the neighbouring French-speaking region of Wallonia had done. (For reference, the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders also has a curfew between midnight and 05:00).

In Brussels, the additional restrictions that add up to the national ones, approved on 27 November, will also be extended till 15 January, on top of the 22:00 to 06:00 curfew. This includes the mandatory face covering on the entire territory of the region, the closure of all commercial establishments at 20:00 (with the exception of the period between 14 and 31 December, then the closure time is 21:00) and the prohibition of alcohol consumption in public.

Christmas and New Year’s Eve will have to be spent with no more than one guest. Also, during this period, there is a ban on outdoor gatherings above four people. The sale and use of fireworks are also prohibited.

We remind our readers that according to the latest measures approved on a national level, all non-essential stores were allowed to open in Belgium on 1 December while respecting strict sanitary protocols. The same goes for museums and swimming pools.