[Nicky91]

Belgium: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2021/12...-state-ruling/

Cultural sector to reopen after Council of State ruling: "Measures were disproportionate"

The Council of State has suspended the government's decision to close the cultural sector as part of a spate of measures to curb the spreading of corona virus. Theatre rooms, concert halls, operas and probably also cinemas will be allowed to reopen under conditions.

The different Belgian governments had come together on 22 December to work out new corona restrictions in a new Consultative Committee. They decided to ban all cultural events like theatre shows, operas and small concerts, although these were only possible with a maximum of 200 guests indoors, while respecting other corona rules such as social distancing, face masks and a corona passport.

The pubs and restaurants were allowed to stay open meanwhile, as were outdoor Christmas markets, non-essential shops etc. The cultural sector found the new restrictions - which applied as from last Sunday - unfair and took the matter to the Council of State. They won the case: the Council of State called the closure "a disproportionate measure" which "lacked an adequate motivation".

Back to the old situation
Cultural events with up to 200 people will be possible again, and cinemas are also expected to get the green light to reopen, though this still has to be decided by the different government this morning.

It is expected that they will go back to the situation as it was just before the last Consultative Committee, with a maximum of 200 people allowed in indoor venues.

"Historic ruling"
The cultural sector had staged several protest against the latest restrictions and is happy that they won the case. Actor and director Stany Crets calls the ruling of the Council of State "historic, not only for the cultural sector but also for the government's corona policies in general".

Stany Crets and the former actor Michaël Pas, two frontrunners of the cultural protests, underlined that while the ruling sets a first, it is still mainly symbolic for the cultural sector as crowds of maximum 200 people are much too small to make a profit. "However, politicians will have to think twice in the future before taking disproportionate corona measures."



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