Amsterdam mayor wants firework-free zones around hospitals, nursing homes

Interim Amsterdam mayor Jozias van Aartsen wants to implement firework-free zones around hospitals and nursing homes in the Dutch capital next year, he said in an interview with the Telegraaf.

According to Van Aartsen, such firework-free zones resulted in a drastic reduction in firework related problems and incidents in The Hague, where he was previously mayor. The Amsterdam city council already approved expanding these zones in the city, he said to the newspaper.

"Amsterdam now only has firework-free zones around animal shelters", Van Aartsen said. "You have to first expand these to hospitals and nursing homes. People understand that."

The interim mayor called New Year's a "type of crisis situation", according to the newspaper. "Something like 'we will go all out' happens in a small part of the population", Van Aartsen said. The government should reduce this tendency, with firework-free zones among other things, he said.