This weekend we received news that coffeeshops were to close due to the coronavirus outbreak, until the 6th of April. People scrambled to purchase their month’s supply, and lines popped up throughout the country on Sunday.
Thankfully, stoners need not worry- the government has decided to allow coffeeshops to stay open (kind of).
Pick-up only
The coffeeshops will remain open, but clients will not be able to sit inside. Rather, they can only pick-up their stash to take away, RTL Nieuws reports. Delivery is not allowed, as that is (still) illegal.
Coffeeshops must demonstrate the necessary hygiene requirements in order to prevent the spread of the virus. The decision was announced by the mayor of Nijmegen, Hubert Bruls, after debating and consulting the decision with the 25 security regions. The Minister of Justice was also present at the talks. Anyways, this also means that coffeeshops in Amsterdam are also semi-open again.
If you must, only go out when completely healthy, wash your hands before and after and keep 1,5-meter distance.
Measure against illegal street dealing
The decision to let the coffeeshops remain partly open happened because there was a spike of illegal street dealing after they were shut on Sunday. By keeping the stores open, criminality can be prevented in these complicated times.
Check out our coronavirus guide
If you have any questions about the coronavirus in the Netherlands, consider checking out our guide on the virus, which is updated daily. You can also check out our informational video on the topic.
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