With city’s shopping streets getting busier, the idea is to make staying 1.5 metres from other people easier
Translated by Thomas Ansell
Special walking routes through the city centre of Leeuwarden have been brought in to try and lessen the chances of the Coronavirus being spread, reports the Omrop Fryslân. With shopping streets getting busier, it is getting more difficult to keep to the 1.5-metre distance regulation, so the Gemeente Leeuwarden has brought in a series of marshals to help direct the public.
Last Saturday was the first test day for the plan, with around 10 marshals in Leeuwarden directing the public. Hayo Galema, the City Centre Manager for the city, says that the routes are required because of the increasing business in the city, and to make sure that everyone who wants to go shopping can do so.
Almost all of the shops in the city centre are open again with the same opening times as before the Coronavirus outbreak. Business owners are trying to maximise their opportunities at the moment, too, “we are about 50 percent down on the previous year. When they can’t earn anything quickly, some shops will have to shut”, said Galema.
The walking routes are not just being installed in the shopping district of Leeuwarden, either. The Prinsentuin public park is also likely to have similar routes brought in. Last week, the park was so busy that the police threatened to close it altogether.
Image via the Gemeente Leeuwarden on Twitter
