Belgium gives 10 free train journeys to all residents at the time of facilitating the lock

Other announcements include a reduction in VAT, higher social payments and a tax-deductible gift of € 300 that employers can give to their staff for use in restaurants or on trips to the theater or museums.

Belgium entered the third phase of its mitigation measures on 8 June, with almost all businesses re-operating, including hotels, cafes and restaurants, although social distance measures were in place.

Despite this relatively quick release from prison, Belgium has one of the highest death rates per capita in Europe, with more than 9,600 deaths in a country with 11.5 million inhabitants.

The Belgian capital Brussels and the capitals of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp are accessible by train, as are the wooded hills of the Ardennes region.

It sounds like a good innovation for a country that is relieving a stalemate – but the National Railway Company says the government has neglected them in consulting.

“We think it’s a good thing our government wants to promote the use of public transportation as a sustainable way to travel,” SNCB spokesman Dimitri Temmerman told CNN.

“However, the way this decision was made on Saturday without any consultation raises very serious questions. The free distribution of train trains to all Belgians raises the question of the sanitary safety of our passengers and staff. The SNCB will not jeopardize that safety in any way, which is why worked these last months. ”

Temmerman reinforced Dutordoir’s statement on Twitter, saying “we have therefore requested an urgent consultation and all necessary assistance to avoid any risk of overcrowding of our trains and platforms. At the same time, the logistical and financial aspects need to be clarified.”

Even after discounts on children and other ineligible passengers, the proposal could potentially burden the country’s rail network with nearly 100 million additional trips by 2020.

Safe social distancing on public transport is one of the biggest challenges facing cities around the world as they see measures to mitigate prison measures.

Meanwhile, the UK, which officially left the EU on October 31st, halted the trend by controversially imposing a 14-day quarantine on all arrivals in the country, taking effect – like the Belgian phase of three measures – on June 8th.