Haircuts, Nail Salons In Museums: Netherlands Eases Covid Curbs After ‘Cultural Protests’

Netherlands announced that it will ease some of the Covid-19 restrictions despite fears that it may log upto 100,000 cases per day. The Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte allowed bars, restaurants and museums and other parts of the hospitality sector to reopen following strict Covid-19 measures. This move comes despite the Netherlands reporting close to 60,000 cases daily for the past few days.

Amsterdam saw several protests and demonstrations against the Covid-19 rules. One of the remarkable forms of protests were museums opening nail salons under the gaze of famous works of art by Dutch painters in Amsterdam and Hague while pictures released by news agency Reuters showed hairdressers giving haircuts inside a concert hall while musicians rehearsed orchestral music inside. The Limburgs Museum even offered gym and yoga sessions last week flouting the government rule which disallowed opening of museums and concert halls.

Barbers were seen offering haircuts under the ‘watchful gaze of Van Gogh’s masterpieces’ at the Van Gogh Museums, according to a report by the BBC. “It’s crooked, I can do my job and the people from the museum cannot. Look around you. There’s so much space, and people can be in a supermarket with 300 people, it’s crazy,” Mischa, a barber who was offering a haircut to a customer at the entrance of the Van Gogh Museum, told the news agency. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema warned protesters earlier that no matter how stylish the protests got it may not be tolerated.

The new rules now permit visitors to enter museums and other cultural sites provided they are masked and have a coronavirus access pass. Sporting events can be held with a maximum of 1,250 people per room. All locations will be allowed to open from 5am to 10pm. People have been urged to mask themselves as well as follow social distancing.

The Dutch health minister Ernst Kuipers said that he fears that daily cases could rise upto 100,000 as Covid-19 measures are relaxed. He also said that people need to strictly follow Covid-19 measures and get tested if they are symptomatic as the Netherlands continues to report a surge in daily cases.

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