Thirsty drinkers in Belgium, the heartland of European beer, have braved the rain to gather around outside tables at café terraces in Brussels and across the country this morning.
In Chatelain, a popular bar and restaurant district of the capital, early arrivals huddled in winter coats under awnings, but were delighted to support their local businesses.
“Typical Brussels weather,” grinned 42-year-old American expat Amy Marshall, returning to a favourite brunch spot – the Poz Café – near her home.
Belgium was one of the hardest hit countries in the first wave of the epidemic last year, and locked down harder than some when the later surges hit.
Now a national vaccination campaign has begun to make progress, infection numbers are down and the government has begun a phased return to business as usual.
For long-standing bar owners and restauranteurs it’s a relief, for new entrants in the market it’s a moment of hope – and of some tension.
“I picked my moment, it’s ideal!” joked 31-year-old Thomas Mamakis as he opened up L’Altitude, which he hopes will become the bar of the moment in Forest, a southern Brussels district.
The welded joints on the steel cladding in the kitchen are still warm from the heat of their installation, but the chef was in the kitchen knocking together dough for tacos and the tables are out.
While the 50 square metre terrace is in use, with the tables spaced one and a half metres apart under the drizzling rain, the larger interior area was closed to customers.
Mamakis’ frustration at the slow opening reflects that of veteran rivals, who insist that the industry has enough experience of distancing to protect its clientele.
“Putting 15 people in an office or an Ikea is possible, but for small businesses it’s not?” he asks, ironically.
“We have 100 square metres here, they could let us have ten people.”
Belgium, a country of only 11.4 million people, has had more than a million confirmed Covid-19 cases and 24,483 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Cases are down, but daily deaths have been averaging at around 39 per day for several weeks.