France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Great Britain

Coronavirus: the latest developments in Europe

Source: ECDC
Source: ECDC
18.03.2020

The situation for retail in European countries has changed since our report on Monday. The latest information:
In France, DIY stores are officially exempt from the general closure of retail stores, just like supermarkets and similar businesses. However the majority of operators have closed their stores because, according to information from the industry association FMB, employees do not want to take any risks.
In Belgium there is now also a ban on going out, as in France. DIY stores are or were partly still open today but now have to shut until, as it currently stands, 5 April 2020. For food stores and other businesses which are still open, there is a regulation that customers may only enter individually, may only stay in a store for 30 minutes and must use cashless forms of payment.
In the Netherlands, retail stores are currently open, therefore also DIY stores and garden centres.
In Denmark, DIY stores are still open; they are currently assuming that this will also be the case tomorrow.
In Norway, the majority of businesses and DIY stores are currently open. There are no delivery problems for building materials and hardware; work is continuing to run normally on the majority of building sites.
In Finland there are currently no restrictions for the retail trade. However retailers have noticed that fewer customers are coming.
In Great Britain, businesses also continue to remain open. However events such as the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show have been cancelled.
Please note: The news situation regarding the corona epidemic is changing very quickly. Therefore please note the respective publication date of our news.
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