Luxembourg City mayor Lydie Polfer made the announcement at Wednesday morning’s City Breakfast meeting. Free tests will also be available at the test centre on Grand-Rue until the end of the month. From 1 November, these certified rapid tests will cost €5. In order to get a certified rapid test at a pharmacy, people will have to purchase vouchers, which will also be available for €5.
This system has issued around 32,500 test vouchers since May, as the Luxembourg City council sought to support the restaurant industry.
The council also suggested that the government install a vaccine centre near the Grand-Rue testing centre, which has proved immensely popular and attracts a large number of people. Polfer said this would be a simple method of allowing walk-in vaccinations. However, there has not yet been a response from the government.
The vaccine bus, however, will continue to make its rounds through the city. Dates and locations can be found on the Ville de Luxembourg website.
Moving on to more festive topics, Wednesday’s discussion briefly touched on the Winterlights festival. The traditional winter programme will launch on 19 November, lasting until 2 January, and will take place on the Kinnekswiss, near the Gëlle Fra and at the new Place de Paris. Further information will become available on 11 November.
Elsewhere, the popular pirate ship playground in the municipal park will not be accessible this winter due to renovation works on the wooden structures. It will reopen in spring 2022.
Finally, the council announced that the 300-year-old tree in the inner courtyard of the City Museum would have to be cut down due to fungus damage. The tree had been greatly weakened by the fungus and there is no possible treatment. As it therefore poses a safety risk, plans have been made to cut the tree down. Alderman Serge Wilmes confirmed there was no link between the tree’s deterioration and the building site currently situated at the museum.
