On Saturday 26 June, almost all infection control measures in the Netherlands were repealed.
– The end of the crisis is in sight, said the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, when he announced the reopening of society.
However, the reopening did not go exactly according to plan – in the last three weeks, the spread of infection has skyrocketed. On Saturday, more than 10,000 new cases of infection were registered, which corresponds to the highest number since December last year.
Now the prime minister admits to having eased the measures too early, reports BBC.
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– Regret
Rutte has previously stated that the reopening was a “natural step” due to the infection situation in June.
On Monday, however, the Prime Minister acknowledged that it was the government’s fault to scrap almost all infection control measures at the same time.
– What we thought was possible in practice, turned out to be wrong. We made a mistake that we regret. We are sorry, said Rutte, according to Politico.
The apology comes in the wake of the recent weeks’ sharp increase in infection. A total of 1,736,879 people have tested positive for covid-19 in the Netherlands since the start of the pandemic, of which nearly 18,000 have lost their lives, according to recent figures from Worldometers.
ACKNOWLEDGES ERRORS: Rutte acknowledges that the Dutch government made a wrong assessment and opened society up too early. Photo: Phil Nijhuis / AFP / NTB
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Closes down again
The Dutch reopening meant that restaurants, museums and theaters could open their doors to more people than before – without restrictions. Discos and nightclubs also opened. The general bandage requirement was lifted, with the exception of public transport, airports and test and vaccine centers. The only rule that was continued was the requirement to keep a distance of 1.5 meters from others.
On Friday, the government tightened again.
– Not fun, but necessary, Rutte said when he told about the reintroduced measures.
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Britain defies infection – opens
On the same day that the Dutch Prime Minister admitted to having opened society prematurely, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, stated that almost all infection control measures in England would be repealed on 19 July.
“We believe this is the right time to open society,” Johnson said during a news conference Monday night.
Steel for “invasion”
The last phase of the UK’s reopening plan means that the sanitary napkin order, the meter rule and the requirement for a home office will be lifted.
The major changes are being introduced despite the fact that the infection trend is rising and the country is preparing for a million infection. The government’s top scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, fears that England will see the same development as the Netherlands, if the population does not act sensibly when society opens up.
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