Rutte: ‘From 1 July, we can do more than expected’
It has been officially confirmed: from 1 July, the coronavirus measures will be eased. We can go out to eat and drink with more people again. But… the 1.5-metre distance and other basic rules remain crucial, according to Rutte.
The main rules for indoor hospitality venues at a glance
- The 1.5-metre distance remains in force;
- Hospitality venues receiving fewer than 100 people will no longer have to work with reservations from 1 July, nor will they have to conduct a screening conversation at the door (which already felt very much like a little performance);
- Only if hospitality venues want to receive more than 100 guests indoors must reservations be made and a screening conversation (so, the little performance after all..) take place.
Events
Despite the easing of restrictions taking effect on 1 July, the event season will not start on that date yet, Rutte warns. It still takes around six weeks to issue permits. Large events therefore will not really be organised again until mid-August, Rutte expects. What is allowed: a neighbourhood barbecue.
No disco
Time to get your feet off the floor? Not quite yet: nightclubs and party cafés will remain closed for the time being. If the situation allows and the virus remains under control, they may open in due course. This will be reassessed around 1 September.
Sneeze screens
Minister Grapperhaus has had the so-called ‘sneeze screens’ examined to determine whether they are safe and practical to use. If a screen is placed between terrace tables, the tables may subsequently be positioned closer together than 1.5 metres. The government hopes that this will allow the hospitality industry to receive more visitors. Indoors, the prescribed 1.5-metre distance will still apply, except for everyone up to the age of 18.
Who’s the designated driver?
Now that we are allowed to go out more again, that one question suddenly comes up again too: ‘Who’s the designated driver?’, because even if you are not from the same household, you may sit together in a car.
The main rules for outdoor hospitality venues at a glance
- The 1.5-metre distance from others remains in force;
- A screen on the terrace is an alternative to the 1.5-metre distance;
- More than 250 people (excluding staff) may gather outdoors, but reservations must then be made and the screening conversation must also take place;
- Hospitality venues always operate with assigned seating.
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