Good news! Hospitality terraces are likely to reopen on 1 June
What wonderful news! Cafés and restaurants will most likely be allowed to reopen their outdoor terraces from 1 June. At last, we’ll be able to drink a cold beer on a terrace again!
Will the government finally ease the coronavirus measures after all? According to hospitality insiders, it’s damn well about time too. Pressure on the government has been mounting steadily in recent weeks. Pub owner Laurens Meyer even threatened to reopen his pubs on 1 June if the government did not quickly provide support. More than a thousand hospitality businesses responded to his appeal, and Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) also started banging on the government’s door. Its members advise reopening, but KHN itself does not. What is clear, though, is that urgent action is needed—and that is no small matter.
Solo conga line
The proposal to reopen outdoor terraces from 1 June is now on the table. The government is expected to make a final decision on this tomorrow. But according to insiders, almost everything is set to receive the green light. I’m getting ready to start a conga line—at a distance of five feet, because that is and will remain the new hospitality reality for the time being, even when the terraces reopen.
It is still unclear what will happen with the rest of the hospitality sector. Hospitality entrepreneurs without a (large) terrace are therefore still seriously concerned. “Of course it’s great for businesses with a large terrace, but what about the small hospitality businesses without a large terrace???? This is not a solution! Of course I wish all hospitality businesses well! But this is not an option for small entrepreneurs, and they’re precisely the ones who are all going under.”
Hopefully, we’ll know more tomorrow.
Image: rooftop terrace GAPP (formerly HOPP), Amsterdam
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