Big news yesterday here in The Netherlands.
Yesterday there was the final (for now) press conference on the Coronavirus crisis held by our Prime Minister, and he had only good news. A couple of weeks ago I posted the government's 'road map', explaining what will be lifted when. Pretty much everything that was pegged to happen 1 September can already happen 1 July. The numbers are so low, that the immediate crisis is now over. This means that from 1 July;
- Restaurants, bars and cafes reopen with no limit to the amount of visitors, provided that costumers can keep a 1.5m distance, or if there's a screen between two tables.
- Theatres, cinemas and other venues can also allow more people, again provided that spectators can keep 1.5m distance between each group (which in practice means there'll be about two empty chairs between "households"). This also goes for funerals and weddings, gyms, and outdoor gatherings such as fairs and markets.
- The prime minister explicitly said sex workers can resume their.. practice starting 1 July.
- Public transport will reopen to anyone, as opposed to only for "necessary travel". Face masks will remain mandatory while inside vehicles.
- Events and concerts can start with applying for permits again, as from 1 September onwards, they will again be allowed with a 1.5m distance between people. This means that from 1 September on, sports matches are allowed to have spectators again, right in time for the new football season.
- People from different households are allowed to get into a single car again, though are advised to wear facemasks.
- High schools can also fully reopen, after primary schools have done previously, from 1 July onwards, though obviously it makes sense they won't do so until after summer holiday. Higher education can also resume on campus after the summer holiday.
- Elderly homes can allow visitors and residents can leave, if there's no current infection.
So basically everything gets lifted, there's still only a few exceptions;
- Nightclubs and discotheques will remain closed until further notice.
- Every establishment must ask a patron whether or not they have symptoms or have been sick with the last two weeks. Obviously people can lie about this, but the government is counting on people's reliability, which they have been since the start. This has seemed to work, by far the majority is honourable enough to tell the truth or just stay at home.
- The social distancing of 1.5m remains in effect, except in public transport where facemasks are mandatory.
Also, from 1 July the government stops reporting daily numbers. They'll switch to weekly numbers instead.
They said they can do all this now, because continued studies have shown that the virus is rapidly decreasing in our country. We've also had the first day with zero deaths since the start, and there's hardly anyone on ICU left. They said that the reopening of restaurants (in a limited fashion), theme parks and zoos previously has had zero effect on the continued decrease and viral matter traceable in the sewer systems are noticeably declining. Even the big protests (like the much maligned BLM protest in Amsterdam) have resulted in exactly zero new infections.
Last edited by S.Peelman - on 25 June 2020
Essay Pro