Coronavirus in Europe

Amsterdam closes part of Red Light District because of social distancing issues

20 Jul, 2020

Amsterdam authorities have closed a few streets in the famous red light district of the city, due to overcrowding. City officials have also told people not to visit the area.

Social distancing restrictions were put in place to combat the covid-19 pandemic, and Dutch city authorities had implemented a one-way walking scheme in the area; a maze of medieval alleys in the heart of the city known as De Wallen, where careful monitoring of visitor flows was instated.

It looks like their plan did not prevent crowds from flocking to the area, as the city authorities had to announce on Amsterdam’s twitter account, "Don't come to the red light district. It's too crowded."