It was the Council of State which decided. While Prime Minister Alexander De Croo last week announced the closure of theaters, performance halls and cinemas, Belgian justice decided another end on Tuesday. According to the highest Belgian administrative court, the authorities have not shown “how theaters in the cultural sector are particularly dangerous places for the health and lives of people (…), to the point that it is necessary to order its closure “. The opinion goes against the Belgian government’s strategy to curb the epidemic wave, but reinforces a world of entertainment against this obligation to close.
The Belgian authorities had decreed the closure of theaters, performance halls and cinemas, for at least two weeks from December 26, causing the demonstration of thousands of people in Brussels on Sunday. Several health experts had spoken of“inconsistency” even“aberration”, especially since, at the same time, cafes and restaurants remained open until 11 p.m. across the country.
The Council of State had been approached by the producer of a show from one of the municipalities of Brussels. Its decision immediately suspends the ban on opening, and is not subject to appeal. Similar requests concerning cinemas are currently being investigated which have a good chance of achieving the same result.
The prime minister’s office said it was analyzing “in depth the judgment of the Council of State”, while the Minister of Culture of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation took note of the court’s decision: “The closure of theaters is therefore lifted”, Bénédicte Linard wrote on Twitter, “there is no point in waiting for a new stop before reopening the cinemas”.