With all non-essential shops and restaurants closed for the time being, businesses have expressed concerns over staying afloat in times of crisis.
On Tuesday, Luxembourg City mayor Lydie Polfer told RTL the municipal council had made the decision to pause rents for any shops or restaurants situated in municipally-owned buildings, until such a time as the crisis ends. These measures affect around 30 shops or restaurants.
For privately-owned buildings, Polfer said she hoped landlords would show solidarity. The city's food market will remain open for the foreseeable future, as long as the necessary precautions were met.
Esch-sur-Alzette and Dudelange have also followed suit, with the latter announcing the measures in a statement on Tuesday morning. Tenants of both city councils will not have to pay rent until the state of crisis is lifted.
Esch-sur-Alzette mayor Georges Mischo published the announcement on his Facebook page.
Luxembourg City alderman Serge Wilmes also published the news on Facebook.
On Tuesday afternoon, the municipality of Ettelbruck joined the other cities, announcing they would pause rents for non-essential stores for the months of April and May.
The news follows the appeal made on Monday evening by Minister of the Interior Taina Bofferding and Minister of the Economy Franz Fayot, which asked all municipalities across the country to pay any bills in terms of construction and other businesses to avoid liquidation where possible.
Bofferding also addressed the press on Tuesday morning - read our translation here and catch the summary here.
