Cafe and bar owners are looking at ways to extend the outdoor terrace season so they can make up earnings lost during the coronavirus lockdown, broadcaster NOS said on Monday.

Tents with heating, and temporary roofs offer one way out, but local authorities have to agree to extend licences first, lobby group Horeca Nederland said.

Many local authorities have allowed cafes and bars to extend their terraces in squares and along pavements so they can better meet social distancing requirements outside.

‘Most permits for a larger terrace run until October or November,’ a spokesman told the broadcaster. ‘Each local authority has its own rules. Some allow outside heating, some don’t. And to be safe for coronavirus, tents have to be open on three sides or to be without a roof.’

Alkmaar town council, for example,  has extended its licences for larger terraces to November 1 and says it is ‘open’ to ideas such as temporary roofs.

Bad weather at the end of July further damped turnover in the cafe and bar sector.

Figures released by national statistics agency CBS on Monday show hospitality industry turnover fell by over 50% in the second quarter of the year. Hotels lost 75% of their income while cafes were hit by a decline in sales of almost 60%.