The Belgian National Security Council has voted to allow entry for travellers from the Schengen Region and the European Union, including the United Kingdom, from 15 June onwards.
On 3 June, during a meeting of the National Security Council, which was also attended by the Minister-President, the decision was taken and the transition to Phase 3 of the phase-out plan was approved, beginning on 8 June, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
According to a press release sent to Belgium.be, Belgium's official portal offering access to all online information and facilities proposed by public authorities in Belgium, on 15 June the borders will be opened to 31 nations.
It is up to each nation, however, to determine whether to open its frontiers. In order to be aware of the situation in the country of destination, it is therefore advisable to visit the FPS Foreign Affairs website. In view of the evolution of discussions at the European level, the criteria for travel outside Europe have yet to be defined,” the press release points out.
It also states that it will be possible to fly within Belgium with trips lasting one or more days from 8 June onwards.
The Council asserted that health indicators are positive and that health experts have provided the authorities with a green light to open borders and to lift a number of other restrictions.
The authorities have, however, pointed out that the rules on safety distances are still relevant. Only those children under the age of 12 within the same family and those with whom there is closer touch, i.e. the extended bubble, are excluded. For those that do not comply with the safety distance rules, the mouth covering mask is mandatory.
Group meetings are still restricted to a maximum of 10 persons, including children, and it is still advised to work from home where possible. At this point, swimming pools, saunas and wellness centres have to remain closed.
Several other EU countries, including Greece, France and Iceland, have declared that they will open their borders to EU nationals beginning on June 15.
Here you can review the full timeline of the EU countries and the Schengen Member States' reopening of borders.