In a letter to the city council, the mayor of Amsterdam suddenly changed the tune on Wednesday evening. “Ensuring compliance with these rules is a matter for all of us. Primarily for visitors to the food industry,” Halsema writes. The letter is in line with the outcome of the meeting that the Security Council chairs held with the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday evening.

It’s a big difference with last week when the mayor told the city council not to actively implement the Corona Corridor. There simply wasn’t enough capacity for that. Catering establishments that would screen only one in ten customers had nothing to fear. The municipality will only act in case of abuse.

Halsema’s unique behavior bothers virologists. They warned in Barol that the mayor was giving a “wrong signal,” according to virologist and OMT member Mino de Jong (UMC).

Halsima has a knack for treating the city as her personal sphere. The rules apply to others. “Burqa ban, BLM Dam show,” says JA21 councilman Annabelle Nanninga, “and now that’s again, which obviously took a whistle again due to her role.” No matter what we as a party think of all those rules and laws, the mayor simply has to enforce them to the best of his ability. This is her job, not to choose in nice and not nice legislation.”