Dutch cultural sector wants to take the government to court for COVID-19 measures

The Dutch cultural and creative sector taskforce plans to bring the Dutch government to court because of the remaining coronavirus measures.

Retail, sports, and education have reopened but the cultural and catering sectors remain closed — apparently, the main reason for the lawsuit, reports RTL Nieuws.

Protecting culture

More than 100 cultural organisations affiliate themselves with the cultural and creative sector task force, says the organisation’s chairman, Jan Zoet.

The task force is investigating whether pursuing this lawsuit is possible and promising for the cultural sector. The OMT advised keeping cultural and catering sectors out of the relaxation measures and Zoet believes this can no longer be justified.

Many people agree. As this tweet ironically points out, the crazy thing about Omicron is that it’s apparently safer (less infectious) to be in IKEA than it is to be in the Rijksmuseum.

There are 85,000 shops versus 450 museums — so why can’t the latter be opened, especially if people are constantly on the move in museums and other cultural institutions? 🤨

Successes in Belgium

Last year, the League of Human Rights in Belgium initiated proceedings with the Belgian government and the court ordered them to end coronavirus measures within 30 days. The result? The catering industry successfully reopened, unlike the Netherlands.

Perhaps the Dutch cultural sector can take some advice from their Belgian counterpart.

Do you want the cultural sector and catering industry to reopen in the Netherlands? Tell us what you think in the comment below. 👇

Image: PhotographerFromAmsterdam/Depositphotos

Katrien Nivera 🇵🇭
Katrien Nivera 🇵🇭
Third culture kid Katrien has been working as a writer and editor at DutchReview for over two years, originally moving to the Netherlands as a tween. Equipped with a Bachelor’s in communication and media and a Master’s in political communication, she’s here to stay for her passion for writing, whether it’s current Dutch affairs, the energy market, or universities. Just like the Dutch, Katrien lives by her agenda and enjoys the occasional frietje met mayo — she just wishes she could grow tall, too.

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