The Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte announced today that bars, restaurants and non-essential shops in the Netherlands should be closed from 5 pm local time (18.00 Greek time) until 5 am, as part of a series of new measures, in order to prevent a record increase in Covid-19 cases in the country leading to hospital overcrowding.
The measures, which also include the use of masks in secondary education, will take effect on November 28, Rutte announced during a televised press conference in The Hague, where several dozen protesters gathered.
“From Sunday, everything in the Netherlands will normally close between 17.00 (local time) and 05.00”, except for the necessary shops, said the head of the Dutch government.
Schools will remain open, despite the fact that the largest increase in cases concerns children.
“The numbers of infections are high every day, higher, higher,” said Rutte.
“This means that we can not achieve our goal with just a few adjustments.”
The Dutch authorities recorded 21,350 new infections today, slightly lower than the average of 22,258 cases recorded in the last 7 days.
“Less than 50% of people who show symptoms take a test, this shows that the message has not passed adequately and I take responsibility for it,” he added.
The Dutch government has also recommended teleworking to all workers, even if it is not possible for them to comply with the rules on social distancing.
People gathered in front of the ministries in The Hague during Rutte’s press conference. Many of them were holding loudspeakers and whistles, as reported by a journalist of the French Agency.
Police vans and riot police have been deployed at the scene as fears of a new round of incidents erupt after days of tension across the country.
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