Nightclubs in Brussels to open on February 18th regardless of government restrictions

Nightclubs in Belgium have been closed throughout most of the pandemic, with only a short-lived reopening in autumn last year the sector in the country has been in financial ruin with many venues close to being unable to stay afloat and forced to end operations. This has led to a rebellion from nightclub owners that have decided to join forces and open on February 18th regardless of government restrictions regarding Covid-19.

The protest comes after the Consultation Committee, the governing body that decides covid restrictions in the country decided to not open the nightclub within the country, based on the tool they recently implemented called the corona barometer. The next meeting of the Consultation Committee is due February 10th where there are hopes the sector will be addressed, this did not happen last time, however. Lorenzo Serra of the Brussels By Night Federation, the body that represents nightclubs in the city commented regarding the reason behind the initiative:

We cooperated: first for two weeks, then for a few months and finally we closed for two years, but enough is enough. The government-imposed barometer appears to be nothing more than an outdated tool to permanently impose a closure, entrepreneurs in our industry can’t take any more. Many are about to sell everything.

The protests mirror one occurring in Belgium’s neighbouring country of The Netherlands, where nightclubs in numerous cities across the country will open for one night on February 12th in a protest against the government. Elsewhere in Europe, many countries like England and Denmark see themselves with zero current restrictions.

Image Credit: Press