In an open letter to the Antwerp provincial and municipal administrations, 250 entrepreneurs in the hospitality sector are calling for support measures to cushion the effects of new rules, specific to the province, aimed at curbing a surge in novel Coronavirus cases.
“In addition to the daily losses, reopening and closing our establishments is costing us dearly,” wrote the business owners, arguing that the new health directives were adding to their losses, whereas restaurants are officially being kept open.
“In actual fact, most of us have no choice but to keep our doors closed - a de facto lockdown - so as not to dig the hole deeper,” the entrepreneurs noted in their letter to Governor Cathy Berx and Mayor Bart De Wever.
They added that they expected the administrators to “assume their responsibilities,” citing as an example the 500,000 euros in compensation recently awarded by Brussels Municipal Government to participating businesses after the cancellation of the Foire du Midi.
The Brussels Times
