Coronavirus restrictions for Luxembourg will remain in place until 15 January, meaning that the doors of the hospitality sector, fitness centres, theatres, and cinemas will stay shut. The curfew and the rule of two with regards to guests are also extended, and the planned relaunch of sport activities at the beginning of January will be postponed. Shopping centres can remain open but will have to adhere to a more detailed safety concept.
The manager of “City Concorde”, Max Koster, explained to RTL on Thursday morning that the main goals was to reduce shopping to its most essential element by, for instance, removing the incentives for customers to hang around the gallery. This required a “targeted shopping experience”, i.e. no more stands in the gallery, no activities, and – as per decision by the government – a ban on consuming foods and drinks within the shopping centre itself.
While hard-hit businesses cannot be banned from offering a take-away option, customers on the other hand should take their food and drinks outside. A simple rule that should and could be followed by everyone, according to Koster.
In fact, the legal framework surrounding shopping centres has made it easier for rules to be enforced, as customers are now well-aware that the restrictions come from the government level, and not from the centre’s management themselves. The new safety concept also improved cooperation between the different shopping centres.
To avoid too many people gathering in one place, Koster explained that his shopping centre had decided to close off a total of 200 parking spaces. The measure is supposed to prevent queues from forming at the entrances. However, this strategy had already been in place since the government announced that only one person per ten square metres was allowed.
The sector does regret that the government did not open possibilities for shopping centre staff to consume food and drinks indoors during lunch time, as employees have to now go somewhere else. This is rather absurd, especially now that temperatures start dropping below zero even during the day, Koster explains.
What if employees had to now eat in their cars, or on staircases? Even here they are in close proximity to each other. Theory does not equal practice, the manager concludes. The thus suggests a compromise to allow restaurants to only open during lunch hour, and to only serve two people per table.
