Belgian chefs lay down jackets in protest
Hundreds of chefs’ jackets were laid down in the centre of Brussels last week to highlight the plight of hotels, restaurants and cafes that have been shuttered for two months during the coronavirus outbreak.
The whites, separated by a stripe of black kitchen tops, were displayed in neat rows to resemble a cemetery in the ornate central Grand Place square. Coralie Michiels, one of the organisers of the protest, said the action was partly to show the scale of the hotel, restaurant and cafe sector — providing a livelihood for 10% of Belgium’s 11.5 million people and contributing around €18 billion (630.2 billion baht) a year to the economy. “There is an impression that we’re not being heard,” said Michiels, whose family owns Restauration Nouvelle, a company with restaurants and catering services. “We need to know what measures there are and be able to plan for the future.”
Belgium has begun easing its lockdown, with all shops allowed to open from last week. However, bars and restaurants will stay closed at least until June, having shut their doors in mid-March.
Restaurants can still offer takeaway or delivery services, but some, such as Michelin-starred Comme Chez Soi, have chosen to feed the homeless during the lockdown. Others have decided to provide meals for health sector workers.
Meanwhile, Switzerland is set to allow bars and restaurants to reopen today while German states will start doing this week.