Quote Originally Posted by MadAmster View Post
At that rate there won't be enough clubs left to form a 20 team League. I'm pretty damned sure that there might be a dozen at most left if this goes on another 15 months.

On a brighter note (rA). Some countries have announced the first easing of measures. If that doesn't lead to a resurgence in cases/deaths they will announce the next raft of easing and so on.

No date on any easing here in the Netherlands as yet BUT the PM did offer some hope at a press conference yesterday. He comfirmed that they would be addressing the current state of play, which runs until April 28th, next Tuesday and make any changes known in a press conference that same day. He did temper that by saying there would be no instant return for all. Any easing would be done a bit at a time. A "suck it and see" strategy. What do I read into this? My expectation is that nurseries and infant schools will be first to reopen which will allow some parents working in ***** sectors to return to work. Next would be secondary schools, colleges and universities. Then those businesses with a detailed 1.5m social distancing plan. One popular Dutch female singer has said she wants to get back on stage that badly that she would be prepared to do her show 3 or 4 times a night so that everybody who had tickets would be able to see it. Basically, if a 600 capacity club could only take 200 due to distancing measures, she would do the show 3 times that night to accommodate everybody who had tickets.

He then clarified things further by reiterating that the 1.5m society is here to stay. No mention of "until we get a vaccine" but "here to stay". He gave all sectors of life and business an olive branch, not just per sector but individually. Each and every business wishing to reopen has to provide the government with a detailed plan of how they intend to be able to be open for business within the bounds of the 1.5m society. No detailed plan? Then you don't reopen despite the competition 3 doors down opening because they HAD filed a detailed plan.

No quick respite (and I'm talking weeks not months) will see a huge number of bars, restaurants and clubs filing for bankruptcy. Half a dozen theatres/clubs/concert venues have already shut for good. One late night show had the chairman of the bar/club/restaurant/hospitality sector association on the show last night. He said he expects to see the number of closures being huge. Between 2000 and 3000 will shut at the end of April once the rent and wages have been paid. The end of May will see a catastrophe because that is the time when the annual holiday pay is paid out. That on top of another round of rent and wages will have seen 35% of all bars/clubs/restaurants etc bankrupt.
It's not all bad then?

Wow