It’s not just Spain that has become a travel outcast in Europe, added to the red list of some neighbors. Belgium has just banned tourism to several parts of France, Spain and Switzerland, and its “red zone” list is growing.
With much of Europe in the grips of a coronavirus resurgence, a number of countries are sweeping in new restrictions for travel to and from parts of the continent. Even closing borders and banning all but essential travel to some countries, or regions within them.
While Belgium is experiencing a large increase in new instances at home, it also prohibits ensuring that Europeans suffer a worsening crown crisis. On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strengthened its red list, adding portions from Switzerland, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania to places where it is “unauthorized”. About 12 new places have been added to the list:
This means that anything that is not essential to those spaces is out of the question. Anyone who returns or arrives from the Red List spaces will have to be tested for Covid and quarantined, the government said.
“Red zones are municipalities, districts, cities, regions or countries that have been blocked across the country in question or where Belgian tourists are at the greatest threat of infection. For these areas, Belgium has implemented a formal ban.
“People returning from these spaces will be treated as ‘high-risk contacts’, who must be tested and quarantined or self-insulated.”
The irony is, of course, that Belgian travellers also pose a threat to the rest of Europe with degrees of infection as they are now. This resolution comes at a time when Belgium registers on average more than 500 new Covid-19 infections consistent with the day – an increase of 60% in a week.
Belgium has also expanded its list of “orange zones”, places where it is suggested to train with greater caution. Last week, Northern Ireland, Wales and 4 regions of the north of England were on the orange list.
Belgium is also experiencing a strong accumulation of hospitalizations, with a total number of crown cases exceeding 70,000 – the sixth-worst epidemic to date in the EU. According to Deutsche Welle, the number of patients in intensive care has doubled by one month. Health officials warn that “other younger people are responsible for most new infections.”
(Update: On Wednesday night, Belgium reversed the course and removed the cantons of Vaud and Valais from the banned areas after they were added on Saturday.
The cantonal government of either country called it “incomprehensible” and urged the federal government to intervene. In the last 14 days, the cumulative infection rate in Vaud is 23 consistent with 100,000 inhabitants, 10 out of 100,000 in Valais. While in Belgium, this figure is 44 reports from Swiss Info. “The Vaud rate is almost part of Belgium’s.”
Switzerland’s criterion for deciding on a “risk zone” is an infection rate of 60 consistent with 100,000 inhabitants. This is based on a five-day trend, and well higher compared to the popular EU of around 20. This is the average used by the bloc in which countries it reopens its borders to tourism.
Could more regions in France soon be red-listed by Belgium? As new daily infections hit over 1,000 a day, compared to as low as 250 a day in July.
Leading fitness experts in France warn that the virus is “circulating more actively again”, due to a lack of respect for social distance and the use of masks.
More French regions have already been added to Belgium’s orange list last week. Joining Greater Paris (excluding Seine and Marne) and the Countries of the Loire are the Department of the North, the Upper Rhine, the Haute-Savoie, Meurthe and Moselle and the Vosges. This means that covid quarantine and a check are not when you return from those areas.
There is no move yet by Switzerland or France to reciprocate the Belgium travel bans. Amid talk of a possible second wave across Europe, it may however be a sign of things to come. More countries could choose to add places, at least high-risk regions, to no-go zones.
I have three decades of experience as a journalist, foreign correspondent and travel writer-photographer. Working for print, digital and radio outlets on four continents,
I have three decades of experience as a journalist, foreign correspondent and travel writer-photographer. Working for print, digital and radio outlets on four continents, I am also a veteran hotel industry reporter and author of travel guides and cultural histories to Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Borneo. Very often on the road between my Paris and Australian bases, I write for Forbes with a globetrotters perspective and newsy edge on travel, culture, hotels, art and architecture. My passion is capturing the distinctive people, places and events I encounter along the way, both in words and pictures. I hold a degree in Professional Writing from Canberra University, an MA in European Journalism from the Université Robert Schuman Strasbourg, and am a member of the Society of American Travel Writers. A love for my wild home-island of Tasmania fuels my commitment to sustainable travel and conservation.