Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven to also allow cafes to show Euro 2020
Rotterdam and The Hague will allow football fans to watch Euro 2020 games on big screens on terraces starting on Saturday, De Telegraaf reported. Utrecht and Eindhoven will allow screens inside cafes and on terraces. Eindhoven will also allow large screens in four public squares for the Dutch matches in the European football tournament, but only from July 3, according to Studio 040.
Amsterdam was the first to announce plans on Wednesday to grant cafe terraces permission to show the football matches. The city's mayor, Femke Halsema, opted to allow fans a chance to watch Oranje take on the Czech Republic on Sunday at 6 p.m. In Amsterdam, the screens can only be switched on 15 minutes before the start of the match and must be turned off 30 minutes after the end.
Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht made similar announcements a day or two later. The coronavirus measures will continue to apply. Guests must remain seated and keep a 1.5-meter distance from each other. The TV screens must face the terrace and must not be visible from the streets. Visitors are also obliged to book their spots in advance.
In Utrecht and Eindhoven, games can also be watched indoors. "Of course it is good for us that we can open again with a big screen," the owner of one Utrecht cafes told AD. "Anyone who wants to enter our [location] must show a vaccination certificate or test certificate at the entrance of the cafe. Then you can also just stand during the match."
"I have no idea how many people l come here. But seven years ago, during the last big game in which we participated, there were three hundred people at the door," he added.
Eindhoven decided on Friday to allow for large video screens at Markt, Stadhuisplein, Stationsplein and Wilhelminaplein, but not at 18 Septemberplein where matches were shown in the past. This will only take place starting on July 3, meaning the Netherlands has to get past its first knockout stage match against the Czech Republic.
Catering businesses will be allowed to apply for permits to organize events at the squares. The organizer must secure the rights to show the match, and must provide a minimum of two screens to spread out the crowd.
An entertainment program will also be allowed to begin one hour before the match. Admission to any events where screens are erected must be free, the city decided. The screens can be switched on thirty minutes before the match, and must be switched off thirty minutes after.
There was no explicit mention in the Studio 040 report about how entrants would be screened to ensure they are not carrying an active coronavirus infection, or that they are vaccinated against Covid-19. There was also no mention if social distancing would be monitored.
The Euro 2020 tournament continues until the final is played on Sunday, July, 11.
