This June 9 rhymes with relaxation of measures or reopening for many sectors. Our journalists visited restaurants, a cinema and a leisure park to get their first impressions.
This Wednesday, many relaxations come into effect. Wearing a mask is no longer compulsory outside in Brussels and many sectors are finally reopening their doors after months of closure.
> Here is everything that changes today
The Horeca reopens completely, indoors and outdoors
For the catering industry, this day is seen as a relief. Since Wednesday, establishments can welcome customers inside. For some managers, it was necessary to find old habits. “A lady automatically installed herself inside the restaurant, we were a little surprised. She hadn’t asked us to sit down. She can, but we grabbed hold of each other a little“, explains Odile Vanoverschelde, co-manager of Chicago Café. A change also in terms of opening hours since they can now remain open from 5 am to 11:30 pm.
This midday, with the mild weather that we are currently experiencing, customers were mostly seated on the terrace. But the hot temperatures are a source of concern, especially for Niels Lacroix, bartender at the Chicago Café: “We waited for a while for it to reopen, it was slow, the weather was a bit rotten. Now, the weather is good but we can reopen the rooms, we still hope that it will fill the restaurant a bit.”.
The interior is preferred by larger groups, the exterior being sometimes too narrow for a larger table. Nevertheless, reservations are multiplying.
Cinemas finally reopen their doors after 7 months of closure
Eating popcorn while watching a movie on a giant screen and comfortably seated is again possible from today. The pleasure of going to the cinema, a feeling that we had almost forgotten, finally found! And for this spectator, it really feels good: “It was good! So good! It feels so good to have this big screen. We were few but it was a highlight”, she rejoices at the microphone of our journalists.
After 7 months of closure, it is a relief for cinemas across the country, but also for spectators. “This is an essential moment because we have been locked in social but also mental bubbles. Reconnecting with culture is essential”, explains a spectator.
And to celebrate this reopening, in Tournai, sessions were planned this morning. From 8 am, about twenty spectators were eager to take advantage of the return of the cinemas. Nomadland, an ultra-awarded film which notably received the Oscar for best film, is finally screened for the first time. A moment awaited for more than two seasons.
A mini festival was even improvised for the occasion, due to a lack of publishing in January: 24 sessions in just two days. The 50 employees were finally able to return to their jobs. And with the cinema protocol, the three complexes of the group resume at 1/3 of their capacity.
Leisure: the “Polpsaqua Hannut”, a new amusement park inaugurated today
This Wednesday marks many relaxations with regard to leisure: total reopening of bowling alleys, casinos, sports halls, swimming pools, and even amusement parks.
In Hannut, in the province of Liège, a brand new amusement park has just been inaugurated. The opening was delayed due to the pandemic. It is now the largest water park in the Benelux, the equivalent of three football pitches. A project that took more than 10 years to see the light of day. There are 5 swimming pools, 4 slides, bubble baths, water cannons, playgrounds … and also the communal swimming pool! An investment of 25 million euros.
“We have a capacity of 2,000 people simultaneously indoors and outdoors so we can go up to 4,000 people per day”, explains the CEO of the group. But in times of covid, the capacity is limited: only 470 people can come simultaneously because of the measures. In a few weeks, it could be three times more.
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