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Amsterdams red-light district re-opened on Wednesday, July 1 after being closed for more than three months during the Covid-19 lockdown, though sex workers have been advised to avoid kissing and follow strict hygiene measures to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
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Industry bodies have compiled a list of recommendations to help keep workers and clients safe, including sexual positions and practices to avoid.
“We advise to avoid being too close to each others face, feeling each others breath. The intention is to not breathe out into each others face,” Debbie Mensink, a public health advisor in Amsterdam, told Reuters.
“In addition, we advise not to kiss, because this implies saliva exchange. The virus can be in the saliva and thus transmitted."
But while other workers such as hairdressers and masseurs are required to wear masks they will not be obligatory for sex workers.
“After the customer leaves the room, were going to disinfect everything he might have touched, bed, sink, the toilet if he used the toilet, the doorknobs, everything,” sex worker Felicia Anna told AFP.
The Netherlands ordered all brothels closed in mid-March. For most sex workers it meant the loss of their main source of income, with many having little access to state support during lockdown.
The government had planned to keep brothels closed until September, but brought the date forward after Read More – Source
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