Stores, hair salons & gyms reopen today; Restaurants to open in protest

Shops can open again starting on Saturday, however, they must close their doors again at 5 p.m. Customers must keep 1.5 meters distance and wear face masks. The number of people allowed inside is also limited.

In addition, the Cabinet also announced relaxation for other sectors on Friday evening. Hairdressers, nail studios, sex workers and people in other contact professions are allowed to go back to work until 5 p.m.

All sports activities, as well as art and culture classes both indoors and outdoors, are also possible again.

The catering industry, museums, cinemas and theaters must still remain closed. The Cabinet will review on January 25 whether Covid measures can be relaxed.

Nonetheless, catering establishments in several municipalities across the country will open on Saturday in protest.

On Friday, some catering businesses already held a similar protest, for example, in Valkburgn, Limburg and Alblasserdam.

Municipalities are turning a blind to allow the catering industry to send their message to the Cabinet. In most cities, the protest will continue until 5 p.m., but some catering businesses can continue longer.

The four major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, have indicated that they do not allow catering businesses to open. In Breda, the local branch of Royal Catering Union Netherlands (KHN) called cafes not to open. According to the department, the catering industry should not allow itself to be used as a sign of protest for one day.