Reopening of Hairdressers, Libraries Confirmed, Residents to Receive 50 Masks in Second Phase of Lockdown Exit

On Monday evening, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Health Minister Paulette Lenert held a press conference on the next phase of the Grand Duchy’s COVID-19 lockdown exit strategy.

The Prime Minister began by reaffirming the exceptional nature of the ongoing situation in relation to COVID-19, although both he and the Health Minister considered decreasing infection rates to be reassuring.

In light of what has been a successful (to date) first phase of Luxembourg’s lockdown exit strategy, which began two weeks ago with the reopening of construction sites and DIY stores, the government will proceed with Phase 2 from next Monday 11 May 2020.

From this date, visits to family and friends (limited to six people in addition to the visited household) and larger outdoors gatherings (such as protests) of up to 20 people will be allowed, in accordance with social distancing. Individual outdoor sports such as tennis and gold can also resume, although team and contact sports remain unauthorised. Businesses such as hairdressers and beauty salons, as well as cultural institutions such as libraries and archives are permitted to reopen from 11 May, as well.

While recognising the difficulties currently facing the HORESCA sector, the Prime Minister confirmed that restaurants and bars will remain closed until 1 June at the earliest. Their reopening date will depend on continued analysis of the COVID-19 situation in Luxembourg. Indoor playgrounds, gyms and cinemas will also remain closed for the foreseeable future, although drive-in cinemas are permitted from next Monday.

As part of this second phase, residents over the age of 16 and cross-border workers will each receive 50 masks in the coming weeks, according to the Prime Minister.

Both Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Health Minister Paulette Lenert stressed that these measures did not equate to a return to normality and called for continued discipline and collective responsibility among the population as they learn to “live with the virus”.