Hairdressers hopeful, restaurants disappointed by leaked plans for relaxing measures

Hairdressers in the Netherlands are very hopeful that Prime Minister Mark Rutte will announce on Wednesday that they can return to work next week, as sources told news wire ANP the government is planning. Some restaurants, on the other hand, are hoping ANP's sources got it wrong and that they will not only be allowed to open only their terraces in June.

Hairdressing association ANKO is receiving "good signals" that hair salons will indeed be allowed to reopen soon, a spokesperson said to NOS. "What we hear about the conditions is also positive. It seems to be surgical masks for the hairdresser and, if necessary, homemade mouth masks for the customer. That is very workable."

The hairdressers affiliated with ANKO are very eager to start working again. "70 percent are already experiencing liquidity problems. May is also the month of holiday pay and any companies no longer have the money to pay it. If that continues, unemployment is threatening for 30 percent of the staff. And that is in a sector with 50 thousand employees," the spokesperson said.

Restaurants are less optimistic, according to restauranteer Laurens Meyer, who owns over 50 bars. He called the idea of only opening terraces an "incomprehensible and half-baked" measure, speaking to RTL Nieuws. "This is only a solution for businesses with a large terrace or by the sea," Meyer said.

Meyer called for more perspective for the catering industry. According to him, a whole list of European countries are allowing restaurants and other catering establishments to do more than the Netherlands. "In Germany and Spain, cafes are allowed to open partially and then completely. You can get started with something like that," he said to RTL.