​Clubs in the Netherlands to open for one night only in protest of COVID restrictions

Club owners in the Netherlands will take part in a nationwide protest next week to shed light on the detrimental toll that COVID restrictions have taken on the nightlife sector, according to Dutch outlet NU.nl.

The De Nacht Staat Op protest (translating to The Night Stands protest) will take place on February 12 seeing clubs all over the country reopen their doors from 9:PM for one night only.

Nightclubs in the Netherlands have only had a few weeks of respite since the start of the pandemic, with a total closure time of nearly two years. In December, further extensions to lockdown and nightlife ban were announced and were only thought to last until January 9.

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As clubs reopen across Europe, the nightlife sector in the Netherlands has been one of the harder hit - despite the Dutch government maintaining that it’s too early to reopen the sector.

"It is frustrating. Dutch young people need this, their mental health is bad. And you see more and more illegal parties where it’s not safe,” said Amsterdam Chicago Social Club owner Pieter de Kroon.

Elsewhere in the Netherlands, club owners will take part in the protest including Poing, a nightclub in Rotterdam which has been shuttered for the best part of two years.

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"This is the right time, we see what is happening in countries around us. I immediately received apps from employees and DJs that they are eager to participate," said Poing spokesperson Kris de Leeuw "Hopefully we can also remain open afterwards. That is the ambition.

“I just think that testing is very important to get our sector open again. We have shown before that we can open safely,” he added, agreeing that the 3G rule - which accounts for testing, proof of vaccination or proof of recovery - is necessary.

Restrictions across the country are set to remain in place until March 8, although continued pushbacks have left nightlife owners feeling that even this could be unlikely. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is due to reassess restrictions in mid-February.

[Via NU.nl]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter