The Netherlands will enter a lockdown from this Sunday (19) to try to stop the advance of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, announced Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Saturday. “Closing again is inevitable given the fifth wave heading towards us with the omicron variant,” the prime minister told a news conference.
The country, which had already restricted the opening hours of stores and bars earlier this week, will now adopt the closing of non-essential activities, such as shops, restaurants, beauty salons and gyms, until the 14th of January. Schools will remain closed until January 9th.
Dutch authorities have also recommended that meetings between people from different homes be limited to two people. It is not clear whether the measure applies to Christmas and New Year meetings.
Rutte said failure to act now would likely lead to “an unimaginable situation at hospitals,” which have already canceled non-urgent appointments to accommodate more Covid patients.
The Netherlands has recorded an average of 15,000 daily coronavirus cases over the past week, after reaching a record 22,000 daily cases at the end of November.
The announcement comes in the wake of tightening restrictions in other European countries.
This Saturday, Paris announced the cancellation of fireworks and New Year’s shows, days after French authorities imposed restrictions on travelers from the United Kingdom to curb the micron’s advance.
On Tuesday (14), the British government implemented actions such as the mandatory use of masks in most closed places, the requirement of a vaccination certificate in certain occasions, such as nightclubs and large events, and the vaccination of health professionals.
Germany also imposed restrictions on travelers from France and Denmark, neighboring countries that have come to be considered “high-risk” contagion zones.
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