The National Security Council finally released some dates and new guidelines regarding the recovery of the event industry and the conditions for organising events. As you all have noticed some of the information was still incomplete at that moment. Unfortunately we are still confronted with a lot of missing information and clear guidelines from the government. We have a direct line with different ministerial cabinets and are still in discussion and negotiations.
Nevertheless we want to share a latest update
1. Following venues are allowed to open under the condition that they follow a protocol and the general health and safety rules such as the mandatory observance of safety distances, the introduction of time slots and crowd management and the cleaning of infrastructure. The wearing of face masks are still strongly recommended:
- swimming pools
- amusement parks and indoor playgrounds
- theatres and cinemas
- casinos and gaming halls
- conference rooms.
This protocol is still “under development”.
Are also allowed to open under the same conditions:
- reception and function rooms (receptie- en feestzalen /salles de réception et de fête), with a limit of 50 people.
This is something we cannot accept and we are working on having this limitation removed!
2. The following activities may not yet be resumed at this stage:
- Activities linked to nightlife, such as nightclubs and mass events such as music festivals.
3. As from the 1st of July, it will be possible to organise following activities subject to certain conditions laid down in protocols. These protocols are also still in development at ministerial level:
- For events held in permanent infrastructures such as theatres, cinemas, trade fair and congress halls that are organized, protocols will be developed with the competent ministers and GEES experts.
- For one-off events taking place in the public space, the use of the Covid Event Risk Model will be mandatory. The Covid Event Risk Model (CERM) is an online tool that will be available as from next Thursday, July 1 (www.covideventriskmodel.be) allows event organizers to scan their events for COVID-19 safety risks via a simple questionnaire. The risks are determined by a number of parameters that are known to reduce or, in some cases, increase the spread of the coronavirus. The model allows you to identify the safety risk for each event, regardless of the type, size, number of participants or who organizes the event. The visual hereunder is available in French, Dutch and English.
Overview evaluation parameters included in the Covid Event Risk Model
- Events organised in July are subject to a capacity limit of 200 people indoors and 400 people outdoors. For all these events catering is allowed.
- As from the 1st of August, the capacity limit will be increased to 400 people indoors and 800 people outdoors, provided the health situation allows for it. An exception to exceed this limit may be requested for permanent infrastructures with a seated public, subject to safety regulations. This seated condition is as well a limitation we are negotiating for the moment.
- The maximum number of attendees for outdoor events also applies to demonstrations. These must always be the subject of a request for permission from the local authorities. In any case, they must always be static and take place in an area where safety distances can be observed.
4. To assist and guide all event organisers in organising COVID-safe events, the Alliance of Belgian Event Associations has developed an extensive Code of Conduct. This manual gives an overview of all evaluation criteria and details the measures to be taken to get a positive result on the Covid Event Risk Model. It is available in Dutch and French and can be downloaded here.
We realise that some information is still missing and that most probably some of your questions are not yet answered. Be insured that we stay in contact with all authorities involved to get these answers. We will keep you informed as soon as we get new updates.