Belgium did not discussed COVID-19 bill making vaccine mandatory for healthcare workers

The bill proposing that Covid-19 vaccines be made mandatory for healthcare professionals was not discussed at the Belgium Health Committee meeting on Wednesday, according to the sources.

Instead, the committee was limited to debating and voting on the first item on the agenda, which dealt with veterinary pharmaceuticals. The majority of MPs and the PTB (Belgian Workers’ Party) voted in favour of the measure, which established new controls to veterinary medical items.

At 1:30 p.m. on Friday, there will be an official discussion on the vaccination requirement. Frank Vandenbroucke, the federal health minister, has stated that a vote will be held during this session.

Along with this, the opposition has already stated its intention to request a second reading of the bill, thus, any vote outcome is unlikely to be definitive.

Furthermore, four amendments signed by Gitta Vanpeborgh, a member of Parliament for the Vooruit party, and co-signed by other members of the Government will be discussed at the committee meeting on Friday. One change dealt with the deferral of Royal Decrees’ application after they had been considered in the Council of Ministers. The commencement date of July 1 will be omitted.

As per the Brussels-Ixelles police zone, a crowd of 50 to 100 activists gathered in front of the Chamber on Rue de Louvain on Wednesday, expecting to talk with committee members about the measure.