Belgium Eases Virus Curbs With Omicron Outbreak Past Peak
- Work from home will no longer be mandatory four days a week
- Government sets Feb. 18 date for abandoning most restrictions
Patrons queue to enter a cinema in Brussels, after authorities gave the go ahead for the re-opening of the cultural sector in Belgium. on Dec. 30, 2021.
Photographer: Francois Walschaerts/AFP/Getty ImagesBelgium agreed to loosen most of the virus restrictions it introduced late last year now that all but one of the indicators used to monitor the surge of the omicron variant show that the outbreak is past its peak.
Starting on Feb. 18, the requirement to work from home four days a week will disappear and become a recommendation, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said on Friday. At that time, nightclubs will also reopen, pubs and restaurants won’t face a mandatory closing hour or table limits, and a ban on events with moving crowds will subside, along with the obligation for children younger than 12 to wear masks.