DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
Dutch news & articles
Restaurants, shops, and sex workers protest coronavirus lockdown
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Restaurants, shops, and sex workers protest coronavirus lockdown

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Coronavirus-proof Christmas events in the Netherlands this winterCoronavirus-proof Christmas events in the Netherlands this winter
Travelling during the coronavirus crisis: What are your rights?Travelling during the coronavirus crisis: What are your rights?
What to look out for when travelling during coronavirusWhat to look out for when travelling during coronavirus
July 2021: 13 things changing in the Netherlands from todayJuly 2021: 13 things changing in the Netherlands from today
Financial support for you and your business during coronavirusFinancial support for you and your business during coronavirus
RIVM warns against fake coronavirus vaccination invitationsRIVM warns against fake coronavirus vaccination invitations
Data leak allows anyone to download fake CoronaCheck certificateData leak allows anyone to download fake CoronaCheck certificate
Three-quarters of expats say coronavirus impacted their mental healthThree-quarters of expats say coronavirus impacted their mental health
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Mar 2, 2021
Victoria Séveno
Victoria grew up in Amsterdam, before moving to the UK to study English and Related Literature at the University of York and completing her NCTJ course at the Press Association in London. She has a love for all things movies, animals, and food. Read more

Since the coronavirus press conference on February 23, there have been growing frustrations within certain industries who feel they are consistently overlooked by the Dutch government and continue to face a national lockdown for the foreseeable future. Now, some of the businesses affected by the lockdown are taking things into their own hands, with business owners and sex workers protesting across the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Entrepreneurs and workers frustrated by ongoing coronavirus lockdown

At the press conference, acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that everyone working in contact professions would be able to return to work on March 3, and that shops in the Netherlands would be able to open for shopping by appointment. 

But sex workers were exempted from the relaxation, and shops have complained that the rules they have to adhere to in order to open are too strict, and so appointments will have little effect on their businesses. Meanwhile, the hospitality industry - which has been closed since October - was once again disappointed to learn that it would remain closed until March 15. 

And so last week, as people across the country gathered together in parks and open spaces to make the most of the mild February weather, the hospitality industry and politicians pleaded with the cabinet to allow for restaurants, bars, and cafes to reopen their terraces. Businesses also threatened to reopen their terraces in March regardless of the restrictions, but acting Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus said this would be “illegal,” and any businesses that did so would face a fine. 

Terraces and shops across the Netherlands to reopen on Tuesday

But with many businesses reopening on Wednesday, the hospitality industry, shops, and sex workers have decided to take action, with protests across the Netherlands planned for Tuesday. 

A group of sex workers will protest in The Hague on Tuesday afternoon, and will perform a “peep show on wheels” outside the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). Meanwhile, restaurants and cafes in 65 regional departments of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) - the largest union representing hospitality businesses in the Netherlands - have called on members to open their terraces. 

Businesses in Breda, Haarlem, and Leiden, for example, will, in a symbolic move, set up their outdoor terraces but will not serve customers. Johan de Vos, chairman of KHN Breda, said: “We will show that [reopening] can be done responsibly, with sufficient distance.” 

And in a town in Drenthe, 140 shops are opening their doors on Tuesday morning “to show that it is possible to shop safely.” According to the local retailers association, the action is necessary to prevent more businesses from going bankrupt: “With the current rules from The Hague it is impossible to generate a decent turnover,” said shopowner Harrie van der Velde.

By Victoria Séveno