Belgium will be loosening restrictions, allowing restaurants and bars to reopen on June 8, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès announced Wednesday.
In addition, borders will reopen as of June 15.
“This will be a key moment as we change our approach,” Wilmès said. “We started with banning everything. As time went on, everything was forbidden except certain activities. As of June 8, freedom will be our starting point. Everything will be allowed, except for certain excluded activities.”
The latest relaxation of rules, however, doesn’t mark a return to normality. In restaurants, for example, diners will still have to maintain a distance of 1.5 meters between tables. Bars will have to close at 1 a.m.
Starting June 8, religious services can be held with up to 100 people, and as of July 1, weddings with up to 50 people are allowed. Visits to theaters and cinemas will also be permitted as of July 1.
However, mass gatherings, such as festivals, will not be allowed throughout the entire summer. Night clubs will also remain closed.
The current rule on social gatherings — confined to four friends or family members outside the household — will be relaxed to up to 10 people a week per person, Wilmès said.
In addition, borders will reopen as of June 15 for countries in the Schengen zone. Until now, Belgium has been strict in its border closure measures, provoking complaints from its close neighbors in the Benelux group.