Relaxation of measures in the employment relationship published

SD Worx Knowledge Centre

Source

Royal Decree of 17 February 2022 amending the Royal Decree of 28 October 2021 concerning the necessary administrative police measures to prevent or limit the public health consequences of the declared epidemic emergency relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, Belgian Official Journal of 17 February 2022 (ed. 2), 13.628.

From 18 February, the coronavirus barometer will be displayed in orange. This code entails a lot of easing, including for the employment relationship.

The Royal Decree (RD) laying down these easing measures was published on 17 February.

Mandatory teleworking abolished

The teleworking obligation has been lifted since 18 February. The feedback sessions when a maximum of 20% of teleworkers may be present on the workplace will therefore also disappear.

However, teleworking remains recommended for all employers and their employees, unless this is not feasible:

• due to the nature of the job; or • due to the continuity of business operations, activities or services.

Employers must continue to focus on the safety measures as set out in the Generic Guide, which includes rules on social distancing, adequate ventilation in the workplace and more. Some sectors have established sector-specific measures.

Alongside the teleworking obligation, compulsory registration for teleworking has also been lifted. Registering for teleworking is therefore not required for March 2022.

Team-building sessions as well as private company events in the workplace are allowed once again.

Abolition of closing time for the hotel and catering industry and late-night shops

There are no longer closing times for cafés, restaurants or late-night shops.

Reopening of nightlife

Discos and nightclubs may reopen their doors.

Travel

When travelling to Belgium, the colour-coding scheme used for the country of departure (red, orange or green) is no longer taken into account.

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From 18 February, travellers must have a valid vaccination, test or recovery certificate if they do not have their main residence in Belgium.

The exemptions for cross-border workers and persons staying in Belgium or abroad for less than 48 hours have been retained.

Furthermore, the ban on travelling to Belgium from a very high-risk country continues to apply. Travel from these countries is only possible for essential reasons, for example by transport staff, diplomats and so on.

This concerns passengers who:

• are not Belgian nationals; or • do not have their main residence in Belgium.

Passengers must still complete the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) before departing for Belgium.

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