Wait a minute: so terraces are opening after all?
Okay, reset and rewind: are terraces finally allowed to open again after all? Surely this can’t be true? I had already given up all hope after the last press conference. Well, hope, hope… my basic attitude has been the same for months: expect nothing, then it can only be a pleasant surprise. But still, I can’t suppress an enormous feeling of happiness: THE GREEN LIGHT HAS BEEN GIVEN FOR TERRACES TO OPEN, PEOPLE!
Fi-nal-ly, back to the terrace! What a celebration. Sitting down at a table, having someone take your order and then bring it to you. Yes, I really miss that whole experience so much! Is that really going to happen, on the 28th? It certainly looks that way.
Something has leaked again
Because, as is always the case with press conferences (am I the only one who refuses to call them ‘presscos’?), some information leaks out beforehand. This time too: terraces could reopen ‘under certain conditions’ from 28 April.
Insiders in The Hague say that this plan has been given the green light. Another very welcome easing of restrictions would be the abolition of the curfew. I’m really fed up with having to be home on time every day. Of course, if the easing of restrictions goes ahead, we won’t immediately go from 0 to 100, so the terraces will undoubtedly be given a closing time.
Fake news, probably not..
To what extent will the leaked easing of restrictions turn out to be fake news? Caretaker minister Tamara van Ark said today that hospital admissions seem to be heading in the right direction… And wasn’t that what was needed? Am I allowed to cheer a little already, or will it turn into another disappointment tomorrow evening? Secretly, I’m a little nervous. You know what would help with those nerves? A freshly poured beer. Somewhere on a sunny terrace, preferably.
KHN not celebrating just yet
Hopefully the hospitality industry itself is ready too if it is allowed to reopen terraces on Wednesday 28 April, because many hospitality entrepreneurs, like me, have somewhat given up hope and faith in a speedy reopening… ‘It is good news that the announced easing of restrictions from 28 April this year has (not yet) been taken off the table. However, this still depends entirely on the conditions under which terraces might be allowed to open. “Terraces only” is of course not enough; it does not help all entrepreneurs, and the hospitality industry can also reopen responsibly indoors. And if terraces are allowed to open first, the conditions must be workable and profitable, so that entrepreneurs are genuinely helped by this,’ says Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN), which will hold further talks with the government about this tomorrow.
Let’s hope we’re pleasantly surprised; I’m already getting my most festive outfit out of the closet!
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