Netherlands enters strict second lockdown for five weeks
The Netherlands will enter its second national lockdown for at least five weeks, the country’s Prime Minister has announced.
In a televised address last night, Mark Rutte told the nation: “The Netherlands is closing down. We realise the gravity of our decisions, right before Christmas.”
Households will be banned from welcoming more than two visitors over the age of 13 from today. The rules will be waived for three days around Christmas, when three visitors will be allowed.
People must stay at home as much as possible, while all public venues including gyms, cinemas, hairdressers, pubs and restaurants will shut until 19 January.
Schools will close until 18 January. Supermarkets, banks and pharmacies will stay open.
It comes after the country reported more than 10,000 new infections on Sunday — its highest leap in over six weeks.
A further 8,500 cases were announce yesterday, pushing the seven-day rolling average over the past week to 47.5 infections per 100,000, up from 29.2 the week before.
“We have to do everything to get to a better place. And yes, it will get better.
“The reality is that we are not dealing with an innocent flu, as some of those protesting outside believe, but a virus that can reach anyone.”
In total, the country has recorded more than 600,000 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic and upwards of 10,000 Covid-related fatalities.
“It’s serious. It’s very serious,” health minister Hugo de Jonge said yesterday ahead of a Cabinet meeting.
“We see the infection numbers rising sharply in recent days, we see that hospital admissions are increasing again, the pressure on the health care sector remains high.”