Even in very severe frost, there will be no Elfstedentocht for the time being. The board of the Royal Association of the Friesche Elf Cities will not organize the event under the current corona rules.
The organization of the Elfstedentocht reports on Thursday, after consultation with the province and the Fryslân Safety Region, that as long as there is a one-and-a-half meter measure, no trip can be organized.
Both at registration and at the start it is very complicated to observe the 1.5 meter distance. In addition, the organization of the Elfstedentocht does not want to organize an event during the pandemic that mobilizes hundreds of thousands of people. Moreover, the organization does not want to put extra pressure on hospitals.
The chance that an Elfstedentocht can be held this winter therefore seems very small. During his last press conference, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Tuesday that a possible relaxation of the current measures will not be considered until mid-December at the earliest, if the corona figures continue to fall.
The 1.5 meter measure is one of the government’s basic rules to combat the corona virus and will probably only be lifted as one of the last measures.
In 1997 the fifteenth and, for the time being, the last edition of the Elfstedentocht was organized. Due to global warming, scientists fear that the illustrious skating tour will only be held sporadically in the future.
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