The Netherlands will introduce extensive closure from Sunday to slow down the spread of the omicron variant.
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– The Netherlands will close down again from tomorrow, says Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a press conference on Saturday.
The closure will take effect on 19 December and will last until 14 January.
Hairdressers, shops, schools, casinos, cultural life, the catering industry, cafes and sports are closing. Only pharmacies and groceries can stay open.
Dutch people are recommended to have only two guests over the age of 13 in the home per day, and self-testing is recommended when visiting. Schools and kindergartens will be open to parents with critical societal functions.
Read all the measures further down in the case.
Think the Netherlands is over the delta top
The advisory group to the OMT government believes that the Netherlands is above the delta peak, and although omikron now causes a small proportion of cases of infection, they must intervene now.
– We assume that omikron spreads quickly in the Netherlands as well. Between Christmas and New Year, we think it will be dominant, says leader of OMT, Jaap Van Dissel.
Van Dissel encourages everyone to accept the booster.
– Our modeling shows that if omicron is equally pathogenic, it will exceed the first wave in the Netherlands.
These are the measures:
- The following applies to everyone: Stay at home as much as possible and avoid crowds.
- All shops must close. Take-away and click-and-pick are allowed. Grocery, pharmacies and other essential shops can stay open until 20:00
- Keep a distance of 1.5 meters everywhere
- Do not accept visits by more than two people over the age of 13 per day at home. With the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Then you can have a visit from four people. It is also not recommended to visit more than one a day.
- Schools are closed until at least 9 January
- The catering industry, hotels and cafes must close
- All non-medical one-on-one businesses must close, such as hairdressers beauty salons. Excluded services such as gas stations, pharmacies, libraries, driving schools, notary or lawyer are open
- Cinemas, museums, theaters and concert halls are closed
- All indoor training must close and all matches will be postponed. Outdoor training can continue, from 05-17.00.
- Everyone can continue to walk, cycle and run
The case is being updated.
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