NATO wants ‘virus-free’ zone
Alliance steps up its vaccine effort ahead of June conference
BRUSSELS — Since the coronavirus started spreading through Europe over a year ago, NATO’S headquarters in Brussels has been off-limits to the media and others, but the military alliance now aims to get ahead of Belgium’s vaccine program and have its staff guaranteed to be “virus-free” for a summit in June.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his NATO counterparts met Tuesday in person at the 30-country organization’s headquarters to prepare the summit of national leaders, including President Joe Biden. Foreign ministers had not met face to face at NATO since 2019.
The European Union, in contrast, called off an in-person summit in Brussels as virus cases spike and will now meet this week by videoconference. Belgium’s health authorities have said the country stands “at the foot of a third wave” of infections unless restrictions are strictly respected.
Across town at NATO on Thursday, around 20 Polish medical personnel will begin inoculating some of the estimated 4,000 people who work at the military alliance’s headquarters.
They plan to administer around 3,500 Astrazeneca vaccine doses.
Before the foreign minsters’ meeting he will chair, NATO Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg praised Poland as “a highly valued ally” that is helping “to support NATO, to manage the consequences of the pandemic.”
“This is a joint fight, and we are stronger together. And of course, the vaccines will help and support our work here at the headquarters of NATO,” Stoltenberg said.
Asked for details, NATO said the offer is available to all headquarters staff, including people working at the 30 national delegations. It didn’t reply to questions as to why a vaccination campaign is needed and why people working at NATO should have priority for shots.
Belgium is currently vaccinating people over 65 and those at high risk of COVID-19 complications. The disease has killed more than 22,000 people in the country.
Around 7 percent of the population has been vaccinated, and the government’s program is not running fast enough to ensure that everyone at NATO would be inoculated by the time leaders from Europe and North America gather in about three months. A Belgian official at NATO declined to comment.
NATO did say that “we continue to coordinate closely with the Belgian authorities” and that it will help arrange vaccinations for contractors, personnel from partner countries and the families of NATO staff through a Belgian vaccination center.
In Warsaw, the Polish government official in charge of the national vaccination program, Michal Dworczyk, said that as an ally, Poland was prepared “not only to take but also to give” and that the vaccines will help ensure health safety at the NATO summit.