After the announcement of relaxation by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and healthcare minister Ernst Kuipers, everything is now allowed and possible again. Cafés and restaurants are allowed to receive guests again, and theaters, museums, casinos, zoos and amusement parks can also open their doors again. For Rutte, cinemas and theaters have to adapt and they may be able to start the screenings earlier so that they also end before 22.00 p.m. In the run-up to the press conference, there was a discussion whether the cultural sector and the cinemas should be allowed to stay open longer than, for example, the catering industry in connection with end times that are normally around 22.30 pm. The government did not go along with that.
The chairman of the Dutch Police Association Jan Struijs is satisfied that the cabinet has listened to the advice of the police, boas and mayors with the newly announced corona measures. “We strongly advised that clarity is super important for good enforcement, and that has been settled. Everything must be closed at 22.00 p.m.,” said Struijs after the corona press conference on Tuesday evening. The Security Council considers the relaxation of the corona rules announced on Tuesday evening "a great step towards full reopening". The 25 mayors of the council are "very happy" that the cabinet has listened to "the broad call for relaxation", says council chairman Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen. Last week, the Security Council put a lot of pressure on the responsible ministers to get it to that point.
Schools
For schools, only students who have complaints or have been tested positive must stay at home, the rest of the class can go to school. Students are advised to do a home test twice a week. The PO Council, the umbrella organization for primary education, is pleased with the relaxation of the measures for students of both primary and secondary education. They no longer need to be quarantined if they have been in contact with an infected person and they have no complaints. Classes no longer need to be quarantined if there are three or more infections in the class, only the infected students stay at home.
KHN and other catering entrepreneurs, who have united in the Horeca Alliance, make an urgent appeal to everyone to comply with the corona rules in force. Willemsen calls on entrepreneurs to check for the corona admission ticket. “Nobody likes it, but it's necessary now.” Conditions apply for reopening in many places. For example, a corona ticket (QR code) is mandatory for everyone from the age of 13 in the catering industry, theaters and concert halls, museums, indoor sports locations, cinemas, zoos, amusement parks, saunas and casinos. People must also wear a face mask on public transport and in public indoor spaces such as shops and museums. For cinemas, theaters and catering, this applies if visitors can take off their mouth caps as soon as they are seated.
“We hope that there will soon be a relaxation for our colleagues in the nightlife,” says KHN chairman Robèr Willemsen. The package of measures announced on Tuesday will in principle apply for six weeks. There will be a weighing moment in three weeks, "to see how things stand," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during the corona press conference.
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