Hoi! You! Yes, I’m talking to you. Avoid Amsterdam canals and parks this weekend ok?

This weekend the weather has been forecast to be sunny and 19 degrees. During the last bout of warm weather in the Netherlands, like lemmings jumping off a cliff, thousands of people flocked to the beaches, parks and forests. Acquiring leathery orange skin was far more important than avoiding catching or spreading the coronavirus. Natuurlijk!

via GIPHY

I mean, I can just picture the scene. Lieke sends a text to Mieke and says, ‘hoi! shall we go to the beach at Bloemendaal?’ To which Mieke excitedly replies, ‘ja hoor, lekker zonnen, ik heb er zin in. Wat leuk!’ (Yes, nice sunbathing, I’m really in the mood for it).

Being a responsible person, Lieke suggests that they don’t tell too many people their plans, as one needs to be careful due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mieke agrees and only invites a couple of close friends from their sorority to join them:

  • Lieve
  • Madelief
  • Neeltje
  • Nienke
  • Maritje
  • Jopie
  • Anouk
  • Roos en Loes

The rest, as they say, is history. As thousands of Lieke’s and Jeroens flooded the beaches.

woman screaming
I can’t go with Lieke, Mieke, Roos and Loes to the Vondelpark!

Doe normaal and stay home!

The Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte is asking that all Nederlanders (and kut expats) obey the rules put in place to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. With this in mind, the Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema is asking people to avoid Amsterdam canals and parks this weekend.

All boats, both commercial and private are banned from the canals on Sunday. There’ll also be people supervising access to the parks in Amsterdam to restrict the number of visitors and to ensure that social distancing rules are followed. The authorities will also be doing checks to ensure that lycra-clad racing bike hobbyists don’t cycle too closely together.

To avoid a fine and the risk of catching or spreading the coronavirus this weekend, avoid the parks and canals this weekend.

No members of a Dutch sorority were hurt during the writing of this post.

Until next time. Hou je bek!