Breda has applied to act as a test location for the reopening of the catering industry. The catering industry in the city has developed a plan to run a day trial on May 25.
In this way, the catering industry wants to prepare itself as well as possible, so that everyone can safely open the doors and terraces on 1 June. “It should not be a big carnival,” says Johan de Vos of the Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) to Omroep Brabant. “It is a real scenario that everyone will come to the catering industry en masse on 1 June.”
In order to prevent this, the catering, municipalities and police have been working on a plan in Breda for weeks to make the reopening as smooth and orderly as possible. “‘Go practice,” said Prime Minister Rutte already in the parliamentary debate and we therefore want to organize a practice day. That can help us and the rest of the Netherlands enormously, “says De Vos.
Take away fear
The trial day is only intended for people from Breda. The date was also deliberately chosen. “We chose May 25 because we don’t want to have a very busy day right away.”
De Vos thinks that a practice day can help to manage the reopening of the catering industry in Breda and the rest of the Netherlands. “We can learn so much, demonstrate flaws in protocols and remove the fear that things will go wrong on June 1,” he says. “In addition, we as entrepreneurs will also have to see whether it is not only practical but also financially feasible.”
The plan is supported by the municipality, police, and enforcement, who also work closely with it. The plan is now with the cabinet and the city is waiting for a decision.
The initiators also hope that the safety regions and the Outbreak Management Team see a good alternative in the plan. “We want to prevent things from going wrong on 1 June and then suffering from them, because the cafes and restaurants are being slammed up again,” explains De Vos.
–
