Mayors in the Security Council call it inconvenient if the cabinet were to relax the closing time in the catering industry to 1:00 a.m., but see this relaxation as an intermediate step.
“I hope that everything will be normalized by March and that this will be the end of a dark period,” wishes mayor Annemarie Penn-te Strake of Maastricht. She is one of the 25 mayors who will discuss the relaxation proposed by the cabinet on Monday evening in the Security Council.
clump together
The mayors find the closing time difficult because people all flow out at the same time and clump together there. Above all, mayors want businesses to be allowed to stay open longer. That would be great especially for the clubs and night cafes. “Although I think 1:00 a.m. at Carnival is quite long. The bars in Den Bosch may close earlier, but we will discuss this locally with the catering industry,” says Jack Mikkers of Den Bosch.
Intermediate phase
The mayors would like to know why this time was chosen. “I can imagine that the closing time is still necessary. This is an intermediate phase. The sooner we go back to normal, the better,” says Sybrand Buma van Leeuwarden. The mayors unanimously look forward to the cabinet allowing more. “I could hardly be happier. There is a lot of tension in society,” explains Jan van Zanen of The Hague.
“We are delighted with the relaxation and glad that things are now being taken seriously,” said chairman Hubert Bruls, the mayor of Nijmegen, after the consultation. “Everyone is yearning for a life as we were used to,” said Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgöz.