Story By: Delano Langras, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News

Sex workers in the Netherlands have said they can’t wait to get back to business as the country’s famous Red Light districts open for business again on July 1.

Many of the workers have told how they faced hard times during the COVID-19 lockdown, despite the 1,050 EUR monthly benefits they received from the Dutch government, which they said were not enough to survive.

Local media reports claimed that many of the sex workers – some of whom hail from Eastern Europe – were forced to return to their homelands to live with their parents as they could not afford the cost of living in the Netherlands.

Rents in Amsterdam alone can easily reach over 1,000 EUR per month.

The government has now given the greenlight for workers in Amsterdam’s famous Red Light district and elsewhere to return to work.

However, the world they are returning to looks set to be very different than the one they knew before – for both sex workers and their clients.

One woman who gave her name as Felicia told local media that she is not scared of the risks upon returning to work.

She said: “We will do everything we can to reduce the risk of infection as much as possible.”

Elaborating, she said that each entire room will be cleaned after each session including all objects.

All sex activity will be allowed, as long as it is practiced with a condom.

Meanwhile, the sex workers wash their hands and body thoroughly and inspect customers beforehand.

She added: Of course there is a chance that you will catch the virus, but that is also possible if you are in the Albert Heijn supermarket.

“Anything is better than being locked up in your apartment, as has been the case over the past few months”.

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