Valerie De Bue, Tourism Minister of Wallonia, Belgium's largest region, on Thursday enjoined the country's authorities to consider making coronavirus immunizations compulsory across the country
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2021) Valerie De Bue, Tourism Minister of Wallonia, Belgium's largest region, on Thursday enjoined the country's authorities to consider making coronavirus immunizations compulsory across the country.
"If we really want to defeat this virus, we need to start discussing mandatory vaccination... It is important to start the discussion now, this is not a quick process, and we need to confront the pandemic today," De Bue told the RTL broadcaster.
Even though the pace of vaccination in the country is "not bad," the issue of convincing the unvaccinated to receive shots remains acute, the minister said, adding that the option of carrying COVID-19 health passes, containing data on recovery, vaccination or test results, is less effective than immunization.
Belgium's version of a health certificate is called Covid Safe Ticket and is scheduled to come into force on October 1 in the greater Brussels region. The Federal and regional authorities plan to make the pass mandatory for attending mass indoor and outdoor events, hospitals, and various public facilities for people aged 16 and older.
The Belgian government is set to make a final decision on Covid Safe Ticket on September 17.
As of Thursday, 84% of Belgium's adult population, or 8.2 million people, have been fully vaccinated, with the highest rates registered in the region of Flanders (90%) and Wallonia (79%), according to the national public health institute Sciensano.
