Under the motto ‘The Greatest Essential Shop’, several catering and cultural entrepreneurs were protesting in the Gashouder in the Westerpark in Amsterdam today. Visitors could eat, drink and show their best tricks on the roller skates. The entrepreneurs hope that their sector can finally open again.
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”We want the old normal back, we want fun and the people around us again. And earning money again, also important,” says one of the catering entrepreneurs who is handing out free pastries today. A visitor agrees: “I want to have a nice feeling again that we haven’t had in two years, apart from the occasional month.”
Cultural entrepreneur Kari Anne Bakker of Skate Dance finds it incomprehensible that culture is not regarded as an essential sector: ”You hear a lot about loneliness, obesity and depression. I think that we are the core and the basis to have a beautiful and rich life.”
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”Opening until 8 p.m. is cowardly advice”
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Most entrepreneurs were critical of the positive advice from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) that the catering and cultural sector can open until 8 p.m. under certain conditions: ”I think that if you stay open until 8 p.m., it is of no use. . Either you open everything or not. It’s cowardly advice.”
Club owner Vincent Reinders is also gloomy after this advice: “As a club you have to have more hours so that it makes sense, we hope that 10 p.m. or midnight is allowed as a starting point.” Kari Anne-Bakker is reasonably happy with the partial reopening: ”I really miss the multi-year plan on how we as a sector can get back to work”.
The cabinet’s next press conference is next Tuesday, in which relaxation of the corona measures is expected to be announced. It will then become clear whether there will be exceptions for, for example, the cultural sector.
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