The municipality of Groningen will enforce the existing safety protocols should the city nightclubs open on Saturday evening in protest of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
“You can’t expect us not to enforce [the measures]. It’s our responsibility as a municipal government,” city council spokesman Hans Coenraads was quoted by the Groninger Internet Courant as saying.
Social clubs from across the Netherlands plan to participate in the De Nacht staat op – or ‘the night rises’ – campaign from 9pm on February 12. The brainchild of the Council of Amsterdam Clubs, the campaign will see dozens of Dutch clubs breaking the country’s current guidelines to protest the ongoing shutdown.
It is not yet clear what approach the municipality will take to make sure the rules are not broken. According to Coenraads, it will depend, among other things, on the manner in which the venue owners implement their impromptu plan. But “first we are going to enter into negotiations with nightlife industry organizations,” he says.
