Ten cultural institutions in Amsterdam, including Paradiso, Carré and the DeLaMar Theater, will receive an exemption allowing them to receive more than thirty visitors. The Amsterdam-Amstelland Safety Region announced this on Wednesday.
A maximum number of visitors of 250 per program applies to all rooms.
This also applies to the Concertgebouw, the Dutch National Opera & Ballet, ITA, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, the Meervaart, the Melkweg and De Kleine Komedie.
The exemption is initially valid until October 19. Subsequently, it is examined whether more institutions can qualify or whether scaling will be done.
Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live outside exemption
With the announcement it has also become clear that the Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live are not covered by the exemption. A sitting concert like The Evening of Film Music, which was to take place at the beginning of October, does not seem to be able to proceed.
Since the latest government measures, security regions can apply for exemptions for specific buildings. A condition is that an adjustment of great importance must be for the region. Furthermore, there may not be more than thirty people together in a room, in order to stem the spread of COVID-19.
A spokesperson for mayor Femke Halsema informs NU.nl that locations such as the Ziggo Dome and AFAS Live, despite their size, do not comply with the instructions of the government. It would have been a painful decision for Halsema, but given the circumstances, the mayor saw no better solution.
‘Ray of hope wiped out in one fell swoop’
A spokesman for AFAS Live said in a response to NU.nl that he understands “the concerns of the cabinet”, but is nevertheless deeply disappointed in the decision. “There was a glimmer of hope again because we could accommodate small-scale events, but this has now been wiped out in one fell swoop. The problem is not with the theaters and concert halls, but we are now being duped again and that makes it extra bitter.”
According to the spokesperson, AFAS Live has deliberately made adjustments to create a safe environment. “We have recently invested in a corona-proof environment. For example, an industry-wide 1.5 meter protocol has been implemented and we only deploy a third of our capacity. We are convinced that it is safe with us, but we do not get the chance to continue this. see.”
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