Coalition parties want flexibility in coronavirus event ban; allow drive-in movies

Coalition parties ChristenUnie and D66 want more flexibility in the coronavirus-related ban on events until September 1, so that events that can adhere to social distancing measures can still be allowed. They want mayors to have the option to make an exception for things like drive-in movies, for example, ANP reports.

Events that require a permit, like festivals and premier league games, are banned until at least September 1. The government wants to prevent the coronavirus from spreading among large groups of people. Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health recently said that he may ban "massive events" until after a vaccine is developed.

But according to ChristenUnie and D66, events where people can stay 1.5 meters away from each other should not be covered by this blanket ban. "We ask the cabinet to look at what is possible," D66 parliamentarian Rutger Schonis said to the news wire. Creative ideas like drive-in movies "should be encouraged in this crisis instead of banned," ChristenUnie MP Eppo Bruins added. 

The parliamentarians want the government to give mayors the option to make an exception for events that are possible with social distancing. Safety is paramount, Bruins and Schonis said, but the severely hit events- and catering sectors should not be unnecessarily restricted.