The Belgian Council of State has ‘provisionally ruled’ that the closure of the cultural sector to combat the corona virus is disproportionate. The lockdown is ‘disproportionate and not based on adequate motives’, according to the high court that reviews legislation.
In practical terms, the ruling means that, in principle, theaters and cultural events with a maximum of 200 attendees in Belgium can open or continue on Tuesday evening. The Belgian authority that deals with the corona measures, the Consultation Committee, determined on December 22 that the cultural sector must be closed to protect public health from dangers, but the Council of State sees no sound justification for this, according to Belgian media.
The ruling follows a complaint from, among others, a theater producer, Mathieu Pinte, who wanted to start a new theater piece in the vicinity of Brussels, Auderghem, on Tuesday evening. According to the latest reports, the performance will continue on Tuesday evening. He contested the lockdown and was proved right by the council in a short procedure. He believes that the decision to close down the cultural sector is not substantiated with facts ‘from which it can be concluded why visiting cultural performances would be particularly dangerous for public health.’
The complainants from the theater world were not only proven right by the council, but also had the decision to take effect immediately. Procedures at the Council of State can take more than a year, but due to the “extreme urgency”, the lockdown has been suspended immediately. There have been demonstrations in many Belgian cities, including in front of cinemas and theaters, against the cultural lockdown.
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