The Chamber of Deputies, Luxembourg's parliament Maison Moderne

The Chamber of Deputies, Luxembourg's parliament Maison Moderne

Luxembourg’s parliament on 29 October voted info force a nightly curfew from 11pm to 6am. Although some exceptions apply--for example for people travelling to or from work or transiting through the country--a new petition is now demanding that it should always be allowed to take a walk in your neighbourhood.

“A curfew is a significant cut in personal freedom,” the petitioner Marc Faramelli says in the document. Going for a walk late at night would not impact the outcome of the pandemic, he said, adding it would be “harassment” if police were to issue fines against people in their own neighbourhoods.

The petition is open for signature until 11 December. Even if it were to reach the 4,500 signatures required for an exchange with lawmakers and the government, this wouldn’t happen until after the curfew is over. The ban on going out expires at the end of this month unless prolonged by MPs.

Other petitions are calling on the government to find better solutions to combat the virus in schools. Students were going to school wearing blankets because of the cold from airing the classrooms, petitioner Regina Da Costa says. The government last week said it would add more buses to the school run to prevent overcrowding but has taken no further steps to address the grievances also expressed by teachers.

Housing also remained a pressing concern in the petitions newly opened for signature. One of the documents aims to highlight the plight of people on fixed-term contracts or irregular work arrangements in finding housing in the private market, demanding that housing be made a right. Another petition also urges MPs more generally to combat rising real estate prices in the face of the coronavirus economic crisis.

The full list of petitions open for signature--which further include calls for foreign minister Jean Asselborn to step down, a national minute’s silence for virus victims, a race track, and plastic recycling--is available on the Chamber of Deputies’ website.