Beauty services were offered in Dutch museums and concert halls, in line with existing Covid rules
Dozens of museums, theaters and concert halls in the Netherlands have staged an unusual protest against current Covid-19 restrictions by opening their venues for hairdressing, manicures and gym sessions.
Some businesses, such as hair and nail salons, gyms and non-essential stores were recently allowed to reopen after full lockdown, while museums, theaters, restaurants and cinemas remained closed. Many in the cultural sector have questioned the logic of the arrangement and on Wednesday, staged a protest to demonstrate what they feel is an absurd situation. They used the hashtag #OpenCultuur (Open Culture) to draw attention to the demonstrations on social media.
A major Amsterdam concert hall, Concertgebouw, posted photos and videos of hairdressers taking center stage and being entertained by musicians as they cut hair.
“The only way to listen to classical music in Amsterdam (and the most epic way to have your hair cut),” reads the venue’s tweet.
Kapsalon Het Concertgebouw is van start met de Symfonie no. 2 van Charles Ives door @ConcertgbOrkest onder leiding van Susanna Mälkki. #kapsalontheater #conertgebouw pic.twitter.com/yDyhwVpVWp
— Het Concertgebouw (@Concertgebouw) January 19, 2022
Those who took part in the protest underlined that their actions has nothing to do with an anti-vaccination stance or Covid-19 denial – and the institutions were following the pandemic rules with regard to QR-codes, mask-wearing and social distancing.