Netherlands Accelerates Easing With Hairdressers, Nail Salons Next to Reopen

(Bloomberg) --

The Netherlands will allow hairdressers, nail salons and beauty parlors to start work again on May 11, accelerating its plan to reopen more of the economy by at least a week amid signs the coronavirus outbreak is under control.

Restaurants, bars and movie theaters will be allowed reopen starting June 1, with restrictions to comply with the “1.5 meter society” which will remain in place for the foreseeable future, Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters at a televised briefing in The Hague on Wednesday. Prostitution, which is legal in the Netherlands, is allowed restart on Sept. 1 according to the current time line.

“We're doing this as quickly as possible, but not quicker than responsible,” Rutte said. “Caution now is better than regret afterward.”

The Netherlands is joining nations hastening their exiting from the lockdowns designed to contain the virus. Neighboring Germany is taking its biggest step yet to ease containment with preparations to open restaurants and all shops as well as to restart professional soccer games. In Spain, islands, bars and restaurants on four islands were allowed open with restrictions on the number of clients and special safety requirements, in a prelude to how the reopening will be managed in the rest of the country over the coming weeks.

Today's announcement in the Netherlands makes for a more decisive move after the country's first cautious step two weeks ago allowed some schools to reopen under certain conditions while keeping the rest of the nation under “intelligent lockdown” measures.

The move comes after health authorities reported the lowest numbers of hospital intakes since a peak late March threatened to overwhelm the country's health system. The nation recorded 36 additional deaths, bringing the total to 5,204, authorities said on Wednesday. Confirmed cases rose 1% to 41,319.