In Belgium, theaters are no longer obliged to lower the curtain. The Council of State, the highest Belgian administrative court, on Tuesday suspended their closure announced last week by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The authorities have not shown “how theaters in the cultural sector are particularly dangerous places for the health and life of people as they promote the spread of the coronavirus, to the point that it is necessary to ‘order the closure,’ said the Council of State.
The Belgian government decided on December 22 to close theaters, performance halls and cinemas for at least two weeks from December 26, angering the cultural world in Belgium. Several thousand people, 5,000 according to the police, demonstrated in Brussels on Sunday to demand the withdrawal of this measure.
The Council of State had been seized in summary by the producer of a show scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday in Auderghem, one of the municipalities of Brussels. His suspension decision, which the government cannot appeal, is applicable immediately. It is valid until a decision is taken on the merits, which could take several months. “We are currently analyzing in depth the decision of the Council of State. All the necessary consultations will take place quickly, ”the Prime Minister’s office reacted on Tuesday evening. At midday, Federal Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke had failed to allay the discontent during a meeting with representatives of the cultural sector, refusing an immediate withdrawal of the closure order.
Theaters and cinemas have defied the ban
Coronavirus infections have fallen sharply in recent weeks in Belgium, but the new variant Omicron, highly contagious, is causing concern. If the cinemas are formally not concerned by Tuesday’s court decision, which relates to the sole request of the producer, they are the subject of other appeals which may lead to the same decision in the coming days, on the basis of this case law. “The closure of theaters is therefore lifted. There is no point in waiting for another stop before reopening the cinemas, ”reacted Bénédicte Linard, Minister of Culture of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, on Twitter.
Speaking of “inconsistency” or even “aberration”, several health experts have publicly denounced the closure of cultural places in Belgium, deeming it all the more surprising given that, at the same time, cafes and restaurants remained open until 23 hours nationwide. Certain theaters and numerous cinemas, notably in Brussels, Namur and Liège, had decided to defy the ban by remaining open.