Belgium will remove almost all its coronavirus restrictions from Monday, ending a requirement to wear masks in almost all places and scrapping the need to show a Covid-19 pass for indoor venues from cafes to sports halls.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the major easing of measures has come almost exactly two years since the pandemic first struck the country, which is home to Nato and EU institutions.

“I think it is an important page that we are turning. It is a symbol principally of our resilience and perseverance faced with a pandemic that gave us little chance to rest,” he told a news conference.