The government in Belgium has announced that all theme parks must close immediately as part of urgent new measures to slow down the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The temporary closures must last until November 19 at the earliest, which means that the parks will all be closed for the remainder of the Halloween season.

Bellewaerde, Bobbejaanland and Walibi Belgium will be closed until 2021, but Plopsaland De Panne plan to reopen the park during the winter period.

Elio Di Rupo, Minister-President of Wallonia, explained that the decision was taken in order to avoid high concentrations of people and the interactions between them.