Belgium allows non-essential shops to open

Belgium has relaxed some of its lockdown rules and allowed non-essential shops to reopen under restricted conditions on Tuesday, a month after imposing their shutdown in order to contain the surge of the second coronavirus wave.

Only three weeks away from Christmas, toy shop owner Sarah De Kinkajou was finally be able to open her store to customers.

"I'm so happy! So happy to reopen, to see my little customers and my little shop again, to be able to let people in and touch things and taking time with them, while respecting all the measures" she said while rearranging her shop after one month of imposed closing.

Some of the measures imposed in order to reopen shops include a maximum of one customer per 10 square meters (100 square feet), hand sanitiser must be available, and signs on the floor to respect the 1,5 meters social distancing are mandatory.

"I think that the measures are good, it does not change much from the previous measures taken, and it is good for our customers. They are respectful, they wash their hands when they enter, they respect the social distancing" said Philip De Wolf, a decoration shop owner full of Christmas theme decorations,

"I feel really safe," agrees Claudia Maldonado who came to chose Christmas tree ornaments. "And it is a pleasure to go back to life again despite the fact that the virus is still around, but it really pleases me to see that shop owners can reopen and make a living," she added.

On the Rue Neuve, Brussels' main shopping street, signs are directing one-way paths for pedestrians, as well as reminding people of social distancing and mandatory face masks.

In order to avoid any Christmas shopping rush, security guards are counting and limiting the number of people allowed in the street.

Security is also present at the Grand Place entrances to avoid overcrowding.

One of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, Belgium has reported more than 16,000 deaths linked to the coronavirus.