“De Nacht staat open”: Although Corona bans apply, a number of people in the Netherlands turned night into day. Clubs were sold out in several cities.
Amsterdam – Thousands of Dutch people flouted corona bans on Sunday night and partied in nightclubs and discos.
Clubs were sold out in several cities, the ANP news agency reported. With the “De Nacht staat open” (The night is open) campaign, catering companies in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and other cities protested against Corona rules that stipulate closing at 10 p.m. at the latest.
In Amsterdam, nightclubs remained open despite the threat of fines of 4,500 euros. Elsewhere, including Maastricht and Groningen, club operators canceled planned protest parties in view of the threat of fines of up to 50,000 euros. As a result, thousands of young people gathered for illegal outdoor rave parties, Algemeen Dagblad newspaper reported.
The Dutch government announced on Thursday that it intended to lift most of the corona measures by February 18. Stadiums, theatres, cinemas and restaurants should then be open to visitors again with almost no restrictions. The rest of the restrictions should be lifted at the end of February.
Although the number of infections is still high, the number of patients in hospitals is only increasing slowly. Therefore, the pressure from citizens, mayors and businessmen on the government to lift the restrictions is increasing. dpa
