All persons who have been immunized against the Coronavirus, as well as those who have recovered from the disease, will have to prove that they hold the correct certificates through the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) when returning to Belgium, starting from Monday, October 11.
Such a decision has been confirmed by the chair of the Interfederal Testing & Tracing Committee, Karine Moykens, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Up to this point, travellers returning to Belgium after a trip are urged to show whether they obtain a vaccination or recovery COVID-19 certificate, as reported by the Brussels Times, after which the document is checked during a border check.
According to Moykens, such a process can be completed in two main ways;
Travellers can add a screenshot or a PDF version of the QR code to the form
They can opt to enter the code of the document themselves
According to her, travellers who have not been vaccinated against the virus, as well as those who have not recovered from COVID-19, are obliged to take a COVID-19 test; however, the data from a negative result of the Coronavirus test do not have to be entered as the government immediately has such information.
In addition, starting from October 18, it will also be allowed to complete the PLF in the CovidSafeBE app, while in such a case, the document is uploaded automatically.
In August, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that since the CovidSafeBE became effective in Belgium, on June 16, more than 11 million documents were downloaded. Such figures were provided by Digital Flanders and CovidSafeBE.
The EU Digital COVID Passport was introduced on July 1 in order to facilitate the travel process amid the ongoing pandemic for all persons who have been fully immunized with any of the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Moykens also stressed that since the beginning of this month, the PLF could only be completed digitally while stressing that this can be done up to 180 days before arrival in the Western European country for all persons staying abroad for a long time.
“That gives everyone enough time to fill in the document, even if they do not have a computer or a smartphone,” Moykens has pointed out.
In addition, she said that persons who are not able to complete the form themselves could ask for help from their travel organization or the municipality.
Moykens has recalled that travellers who hold a recovery or vaccination document but still tested positive for the Coronavirus will get a red screen when scanning the QR code.
“So they are temporarily not allowed to attend events and must respect the quarantine. This adjustment makes it possible to keep events safe,” Moykens has stressed.
Previously, authorities in Belgium warned citizens to be careful of fake websites that offer to complete Passenger Locator Forms (PLF) on behalf of the FPS Public Health in exchange for money.