Stricter rules for healthier indoor air: comeback CO2 meter and mandatory air quality label | Interior

At the end of last year, parliament approved a new law on indoor air quality, which has now been elaborated into concrete rules. These will first come into force in the catering industry and the sports and culture sector, according to some designs.

From now on, every business that is larger than 15 square meters and where people are present for more than fifteen minutes would need a CO2 meter again. If the business has a ventilation and/or air purification system, this must indicate how much fresh air the installation produces, as well as the maximum number of people.

Businesses should also prepare a risk analysis and action plan to improve air quality. Voluntary at first, but from 1 January 2025 operators must display or publish an air quality label.

Hospitals, federal buildings, schools and residential care centers are currently not included in the plan.

“We must not forget what we have learned from the pandemic,” said Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit). “It is quite possible that we will experience another highly contagious airborne disease within a few years. So we have to be ready.”

The sectors involved are reacting cautiously to the plans. The Flemish Sports Federation indicates that the timing, the time spent on these measures and the possible costs are points for attention. Horeca Vlaanderen, on the other hand, asks for a “level playing field for companies in already difficult economic circumstances”.