In response to the many questions that contractors in our Transport & Logistics sector legitimately ask themselves regarding the current evolution of the health situation, the UPTR can provide you with the following (updated) information:

A.    BELGIUM: Public Health Passenger Locator Form and Quarantine

As a reminder, anyone who is abroad for more than 48 hours and who returns to Belgium (for more than 48 hours) must complete the PublicHealthPassengerLocatorForm.

These people returning to Belgium must complete the Public HealthPassengerLocatorForm within 48 hours of their arrival in Belgium.

➔ Persons staying less than 48 hours abroad (or staying less than 48 hours in Belgium) are exempt from submitting this form.

 

B.    BELGIUM: Quarantine and Covid test

Quarantine and testing is the rule for all movements from red zones.

An (automatic) exemption from quarantine and testing measures is provided for persons in

coming from a red zone entering Belgium and which fulfil an “essential function”.

➔ Drivers of transport companies, in the exercise of their duties,

therefore logically benefit from this exemption!

  • They do not have to respect a quarantine

–  Therefore, they do not need to be tested either.

  1. BELGIUM: “Coronalert” application

The Belgian authorities’ tracing application ‘Coronalert’ can be downloaded on smartphones (see https://coronalert.be/fr/ ).

 

D. ITALY: New prevention measures: exemption for drivers

Contacted by the UPTR, the Italian Embassy in Belgium confirmed to the UPTR that the new prevention measures applied by the Italian authorities to travellers from Belgium were not applicable to international lorry drivers!

The UETR specified to the UPTR that only the document available via the following link needs to be completed (in Italian or English): https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ministero/normativaonline/decreto-iorestoacasa-domande-frequenti/focus-cittadini-italiani-in-rientro-dall-estero-e-cittadini-stranieri-in-italia.html

➔ Point 5 A) must be ticked to justify the exemption: “equipaggio dei mezzi di trasporto o personale viaggiante/ he/she is a crew member of a means of transport or travel staff member“.

 

For information purposes only, the Italian Health Minister’s Order of 7 October provides for (non-essential!) travellers coming from Belgium:

  1. obligation to present a certificate attesting to having undergone, within 72 hours prior to entry into the national territory, a molecular or antigenic test, carried out using a swab and with negative results;
  2. obligation to undergo a molecular or antigenic test, to be carried out by means of a swab, on arrival at the airport, port or border (if possible) or within 48 hours of entering the national territory in the company’s health reference room.

In both cases, even if asymptomatic, these travellers are required to immediately report their entry into the national territory to the prevention service of the competent local health authority.

The measures taken by the Italian authorities do not bode well for the days and weeks to come …

Source: FEDEMAC