Their reserves have run out, their patience has run out, and in some cases their understanding of government policy has run out, too. No wonder, some entrepreneurs say, that disobedience to the rules, is on the rise.
Geraldo Winnik has five clothing stores, two of which are on the Tongelresestraat in Eindhoven. These have been closed for weeks. The bills keep coming in, while the unsold clothes are piling up in his warehouse at high speed. “I understand that frustration. People are just people. You have to have nerves of steel to endure this.”
Marian Quijten, the owner of Lunchroom Hof 7 in Waalre, is also having financial troubles. “I cannot sustain more than three months longer. I wouldn’t survive that either.”. The support she gets is just a drop in the ocean. Yet it is the feeling of injustice that frustrates her. “The hospitality industry has done very well. But we’d be the last ones to open up again. That’s just not fair.”
But these entrepreneurs aren’t making statements against the government. They’re not disobeying the rules yet. They feel that the situation is not appropriate for that, and the fines are too high. “We’re talking about a disease here,” says Winnik. “What’s the point of revolting then? In the end, we all have to do it together”.
For Marian Cuijten, it’s the fine of four thousand euros that stops her from disregarding the laws. “But if it wasn’t there, I would have opened my business a long time ago.”
Source: www.studio040.nl
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta, who gives online INBURGERING classes.
