In the Netherlands, too, under the influence of the increasing corona infections, the government has decided to further tighten the corona measures. She is expanding the use of the corona pass and is making the mouth mask mandatory again in more places. The Dutch must again keep a distance of 1.5 m.
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“It will come as no surprise to anyone that tonight we have another difficult message. And that we should again ask more of people now that the infection and hospital figures are rising rapidly. Anyone can follow that every day. It is also difficult because everything that has to do with corona leads to more discussion in society. It is important that people do not come face to face with each other,” said outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
‘Some people are against all measures. A cautious group again wants stricter measures. But most of us are somewhere in between. The fact is that almost everyone looks at how things should proceed from their own perspective. It doesn’t matter if you are young or older. Can work from home or not. Live in a flat in the city or in the countryside. Whether you are an entrepreneur or have a fixed salary. Is at school or works. Whether you have fragile health or not. Vaccinated or not.’
‘It is understandable that we are increasingly struggling with this. The longer this goes on, and the more often we have to deal with a new wave, the more complicated it becomes to follow the rules. The rack goes out. We all notice that.’
Prime Minister Rutte said that he has to find a new way with his government. And he does that by following all kinds of advice and trying to take everyone into account. Yet the Netherlands is tightening up on many levels.
There will be new measures that are additional to some rules that already apply, such as the closing times of the catering industry and the maximum capacity at events.
These measures take effect immediately:
From now on, the Dutch must keep a distance of 1.5 meters.
The work from home advice will be expanded from 3 November. ‘Work at home at least half of your working time’, it sounded. There will also be domestic travel advice. Rutte asked the Dutch to avoid crowds on the road and to travel outside peak hours.
From November 6:
In addition, there are also some measures that will take effect from 6 November. Thus, the use of the Dutch corona pass extensive. Now you already need it for catering, audiences at sporting events, some corporate events, the cinema, theater performances and other events. From November 6, this will also be the case for:
- The outdoor terraces of the catering industry.
- At ‘flow-through locations’ and ‘events’ such as museums, monuments, fairs and fairs.
- In organized amateur sports from the age of 18, the corona pass will also be necessary for both the public and the athletes, in indoor and outdoor areas. The same goes for theatrical performances.
- Organized art and culture practice from 18 years, such as: music lessons and painting lessons. Or, for example, rehearsals for singing, dance and drama.
- The only exception made is for youth activities up to the age of 18. Think of youth camps, but also Sinterklaas activities.
In addition, the mondmaskerplicht further expanded in the Netherlands. Now this is only mandatory on public transport and certain parts of the airports. From 6 November, this is also mandatory for:
- All publicly accessible buildings within and covered areas where no corona pass is used. These are, for example, supermarkets, shops, libraries, game locations and amusement parks.
- Stations, platforms and the entire area of the airports.
- When traveling at secondary vocational education, colleges and universities, a mouth mask must be worn again. When the students are seated, the mouth mask can be removed.
- All contact professions must also wear a mouth mask again, both the customer and the service provider. With the exception of sex workers.
Corona minister Hugo de Jonge also announced that all people over 80 who can come to a location of the Municipal Health Services will receive a booster vaccine in December. A booster will also be offered to all adult residents over the age of 18 who live in a care institution with its own medical service. From January onwards, people between the ages of 60 and 80 are vaccinated, with the oldest of that group being the first to receive an invitation. Next month, a booster will also be offered to healthcare employees with direct patient contact.
In addition, he also said that the Netherlands wants to see whether they can give employers the opportunity to ask their employees for a corona pass.
On 12 November, it will be assessed whether additional measures need to be taken. The official list of the Dutch corona measures can be found on the website of the Dutch government.
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