Quarantine

You need to go into quarantine:

• As soon as you start to feel ill, before you have tested positive for the coronavirus.
• If you have had high-risk contact with somebody who has the coronavirus. You have had high-risk contact if you spent more than 15 minutes together at a distance of less than 1.5 metres, without both of you wearing a mask correctly.
• If you have spent more than 48 hours abroad and you receive a text message after filling in the Passenger Locator Form (PLF).

The quarantine period for the coronavirus lasts an average of 7 days.

Procedure

• Stay at home for 7 days.
• You will receive a test 7 days after:
  • the day on which you had contact with somebody who has the coronavirus
  • the day you come home from your trip
• Is your test result negative? If so, you can leave quarantine. Do take extra care for the next 7 days, though.
• Is your test result positive? Go into self-isolation. Stay at home for at least another 7 days. 
• Do you feel ill? If so, contact your family doctor.

Please note: what if you don’t receive a test? In that case, stay at home for 10 days. You may leave your house after 10 days. Do take extra care for the next 4 days, though.

What should you do?

• Always wear a face mask.
• You can only go to the pharmacy, doctor’s surgery or supermarket.
• Don’t let anyone else come into your home.
• You cannot visit anyone else.
• You are allowed to sit in your garden or on your patio.
• Take your temperature twice a day.
• Open your windows.
• Every day, clean items that you touch frequently (such as doorknobs, taps, light switches etc.).
• Use different items to the other people living in your house (e.g. different plates, towels, sheets etc.).
• Use a different toilet to the other people living in your house if possible.
• Use a different bathroom to the other people living in your house if possible.

If you don’t follow the rules for quarantine or self-isolation, you may receive a penalty or fine.

Are you allowed to work?

If you are able to work from home, you must do so. So you must not go to the office. If you are unable to work from home, you will receive a quarantine certificate.

In some cases, you will be eligible for temporary unemployment benefits. Self-employed people who are unable to work due to quarantine or self-isolation are eligible for a benefit to bridge the gap.

How do I get my quarantine certificate? 

A quarantine certificate will be sent to the e-mail address you provided. If you didn’t receive this quarantine certificate, you can request it here https://quarantaine.info-coronavirus.be/quarantine with the following information:

• your national registration number
• the 16-digit code you receive by text message
• your mobile phone number
• your e-mail address

If you cannot receive text messages, you can request a certificate from your family doctor.

Self-isolation

You need to self-isolate if you test positive for the coronavirus. Self-isolation lasts at least 7 days.

Procedure

• Stay at home for 7 days.
• Only leave your house after 7 days
  • If you have not had a temperature for at least 3 days.
  • If you are no longer experiencing problems with your breathing.
• Have you tested positive but not experienced any symptoms? In that case, you can only leave your house 7 days after taking the test.

What should you do?

• Don’t go outdoors.
• You are allowed to sit in your garden or on your patio.
• Don’t let anyone else come into your home.
• You cannot visit anyone else.
• Open your windows.
• Every day, clean items that you touch frequently (such as doorknobs, taps, light switches etc.).
• Keep your distance from the other people living in your house.
• Use different items to the other people living in your house (e.g. different plates, towels, sheets etc.).
• Use a different toilet to the other people living in your house if possible.
• Use a different bathroom to the other people living in your house if possible.
• Use a different bedroom to the other people living in your house if possible.

If you don’t follow the rules for quarantine or self-isolation, you may receive a penalty or fine.

Getting a test

Where can I get a test?

You can get a test:

• from your family doctor
• from a laboratory, on the condition that you have a medical prescription
• at a testing centre

Here is an interactive map of the testing centres.

What do I need to get a test?

To get tested for COVID-19 at a testing centre or laboratory, you need the following things:

• a 16-digit code you receive by text message or from your family doctor, or a medical prescription:
• your national registration number
• a mobile phone number to which the result will be sent

If you received the activation code when you filled in a PLF (Passenger Locator Form) when returning from abroad or following contact with the contact-tracing services because of close contact with an infected person, you do not need to contact your family doctor. Instead, contact a testing centre directly.

Where can I find the result of my test?

• As soon as the result of your test is known, you can view it at www.mijngezondheid.be. Log in and select the category Covid-19. Then click on Result of my COVID test or on one of the links that appear below it. In some cases you may receive the result of your test by text message. This is done securely.
• If you use the app coronalert and you have generated a 17-digit code that you transmitted with your test, you will also see the result in the app.
• If you don’t have access to www.mijngezondheid.be or you don’t have the coronalert app (no ID card, no computer or smartphone), you can contact your family doctor to find out the result of your test.

Do you have any other questions or do you need assistance? Don’t hesitate to contact your Accent Foreign office.