Faced with a sharp increase in reported cases of Covid-19 in the Netherlands, the government has decided to toughen return health measures for several weeks. Since this Sunday evening, November 28, cafes and restaurants have been forced to close at 5 p.m.
With our correspondent in The Hague, Antoine Mouteau
Half an hour before the compulsory closure of cafes and restaurants across the country, it is already crowded at Barista Café in central The Hague.
Even if this establishment was already in the habit of closing at 5 p.m., this government measure could cause it to lose customers, as explained by Ronnie, who has worked here for several years.
” Usually, she confides, we let people finish their drinks, but now, at 5 o’clock, there really won’t be anyone here. But next door there is a pizzeria, and they really suffer from it. Normally they open at 5 p.m., so there they have to stay closed. “
In the past two weeks, cafes and restaurants were already scheduled to close at 8 p.m. So-called non-essential shops at 6 p.m. Now it’s five o’clock, then. Even if this return to a kind of partial confinement arouses the annoyance of part of the Dutch, Ronnie, she is quite understanding towards the authorities.
” If the government says it can help reduce Covid-19 cases, I try to believe it », This is his credo.
Theaters, cinemas and concert halls must also lower their curtains at 5 p.m. Grocery stores, on the other hand, are allowed to stay open until 8 p.m.
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