Associated Press (11/30/20)

Music festival organizers in Belgium aim to help the country's coronavirus vaccination effort, with the government having established a goal of inoculating about 70% of the country's population once approved COVID-19 vaccines become available. Belgian festival experts have extensive experience in constructing huge pop-up structures as well as crowd management. Several festivals in the French-speaking region of Wallonia and the Brussels area have set up a federation to better protect their interests, and built up a large network of technicians who are currently jobless and ready to assist. "Our sector has been at a standstill for many months, and our many staff are eager to bring their creativity and dedication to the fight against coronavirus," said federation president Damien Dufrasne. Belgium has registered approximately 577,000 confirmed cases and more than 16,500 fatalities linked to the virus. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen recently said COVID-19 vaccinations could start in the European Union's 27 member states before the end of December. The EC has arrangements with six potential vaccine suppliers and is working on a seventh, allowing it to procure more than 1.2 billion doses.

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