The mayor of Differdange, Christiane Brassel-Rausch, said they were well prepared against the coronavirus threat.

Brassel-Rausch said on Thursday the local aldermen would meet if needed to implement new measures.

The first of the municipality's new measures was to postpone rent and taxes for commercial tenants of their buildings for a month. The situation will be evaluated again in a month. The mayor acknowledged the injustice for tenants of privately owned buildings, particularly after the government appealed for solidarity on Wednesday.

The municipality is also operating a phone service for the over-65s, initiating contact with citizens to ensure they are in good health and to check if they need assistance with anything, such as collecting shopping. Brassel-Rausch said there were over 900 residents aged over 80 in the area and reiterated they would not be left behind.



Differdange's weekly market will continue for the foreseeable future. Brassel-Rausch said this decision was justified as it was not a big market, and offered traders and customers the chance to maintain their livelihoods and their larders. As a result, the council has opted to make car parks around the city centre free of charge.