Every year, five million people visit the Zeeland border town of Sluis, mostly Belgians. From Wednesday, when the terraces in the Netherlands can open again, we are “more than welcome” in Sluis, according to Mayor Marga Vermue. Earlier there was a lack of clarity about the quarantine that foreigners in the Netherlands should observe. But that is an ‘urgent advice’ from the Dutch government and not an obligation. “Without exaggeration, we realize 90 percent of our turnover thanks to Belgians,” explains the relieved Flemish manager of a brasserie in Sluis.
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In the Netherlands, the catering industry may reopen the terraces next Wednesday, albeit under strict rules: you must make a reservation, which is possible on the spot, and you may only sit at a table with two people or a maximum of four who live under the same roof. The terraces may open between 12 noon and 6 pm.
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Ten days earlier than in his own country, the Belgian could go out for a drink in the Netherlands. Although: the Dutch Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge (CDA) said earlier this week that Belgians are not welcome on Dutch terraces. Even foreigners who go to the Netherlands for a day trip would first have to go into a ten-day quarantine there.
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Misunderstanding
“That misunderstanding has been removed and I can guarantee that Belgians are more than welcome to visit Sluis”, says Mayor Marga Vermue (CDA). “The border will not be an obstacle, there will be no checks, but everyone must adhere to the terrace rules. There is no quarantine obligation for foreigners who come to the Netherlands. There never has been, there is only urgent advice to do so. An obligation to quarantine is being discussed in The Hague, but there will certainly not be one in the next few weeks. Incidentally, such a possible obligation has already been criticized by mayors and the Council of State, and the draft text for this new law states that there will be an exception for short-term residence. In the Netherlands that would be twelve hours. Incidentally, I have been in contact with Minister de Jonge and he acknowledges that there is no obligation to quarantine. Not in the whole of the Netherlands, so foreigners can have a drink across the country from Wednesday. ”
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That ‘urgent advice’ is therefore comparable to the ‘strictly discouraged’ non-essential travel within the EU for Belgians, although the travel ban has been lifted for us since last Monday. Incidentally, anyone who returns from the Netherlands, which is a red zone, does not have to be tested or quarantined with us if the stay in the Netherlands did not last longer than 48 hours.
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So the door is open to the Dutch terraces, and Liesbeth van Os is delighted. She comes from Bruges but operates brasserie ‘Lizzie’s’ in Sluis, which is barely two kilometers from the Belgian border. “We open our terrace on Wednesday, we already have a lot of reservations. How much of my clientele is Belgian? Without exaggeration, at least 90 percent of my turnover is realized by Belgians. Mainly Flemish, but also French-speaking Belgians. Belgians also consume more, they are more Burgundian than Dutch customers. I do not expect any problems for foreign visitors at the reopening, the trade association has also guaranteed that. The only thing that can cause problems is the weather. ”
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Dirty books
No less than five million people visit Sluis every year, which has only 2,365 souls. The fact that Belgians love to go to Sluis has grown historically. The shops – Sluis has the longest shopping street in Zeeland – have also been open on Sundays since 1908. At the time, there was a large boarding school in Sluis where boys from Belgium and France attended and when their families visited them at the weekend, it led to great crowds and the opening of the shops. The fact that for decades certain products in Sluis were cheaper or, such as bare magazines, easier to obtain than with us, contributed to the appeal of Sluis in addition to the high concentration of restaurants.
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Nevertheless, mayor Vermue does not expect a rush from Belgians on Sluis from Wednesday. “Given the restrictions placed on the terrace visit, people will be careful”
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