Although the exact organisation around the new rules for non-essential stores are still to be confirmed, the system should avoid people gathering in front of shops whilst making reservations, according to federal home affairs minister Annelies Verlinden.
The updated Ministerial Decree will be published on Friday and will lay out the exact guidelines, Verlinden said on Radio 1, but when asked whether it would be possible to book “one minute in advance,” she said this was not out of the question.
“There will be a limit on the number of people allowed in the store, just as there is today. And of course, we don't want long queues of people in front of the shops who want to make reservations,” she said.
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During Wednesday’s Consultative Committee, it was announced that people will have to reserve a time slot in non-essential shops starting from Saturday.
Verlinden emphasised that shopkeepers will be allowed to choose how to organise this system, and said the government wanted to keep the administrative burden as small as possible.
"In the Netherlands, reservations have to be made four hours in advance, we won't ask for that," said Verlinden.
She said the Ministerial Decree will be published on Friday around noon.
Lauren Walker
The Brussels Times
