Amsterdam restaurant launches own coronavirus access testing site

A restaurant in the IJburg district of Amsterdam opened a coronavirus testing site this week in an effort to attract customers, and provide work for employees during the current lockdown restrictions which have kept restaurants in the Netherlands shut.

The Livingroom built a testing site in its veranda, and had its employees certified to administer coronavirus tests, according to NH Nieuws. If restrictions on the catering sector ease in the coming weeks, customers will be able to test immediately upon arriving at the restaurant. Test results can be provided within 15 minutes, allowing a customer to get an updated QR code in the CoronaCheck app so they can enter the dining area.

Employees have already started giving tests already and are quite busy, said Humphrey van der Linden, a supervisor at the restaurant, to NL Times. The business has not received any help from the government during lockdown, van der Linden said.

While the coronavirus pandemic has affected businesses across multiple sectors, The Livingroom was especially hard hit, van der Linden said. Out of the two years the restaurant has existed, it has only been open for seven months and three weeks due to lockdowns.

“We are patiently watching our company perish,” said co-owner Amir Rouzbeh to NH Nieuws. “It is a cry for help.”

Both the cultural sector and the catering sector have recently staged protests across the Netherlands, and mayors from about 30 cities called for the Cabinet to fundamentally review the country's current coronavirus policy.