The executive made the decision to lift the confinement, set up just before Christmas, in response to tensions in the sectors of restoration and culture, even as the number of contamination explodes.
Le Monde with AFP
The Dutch government, put under pressure, announced the reopening under conditions from Wednesday bars, restaurants and cultural places in the Netherlands, where health restrictions against CVIV-19 were among the most stringent in Europe. .
The executive made the decision to lift the confinement, set up just before Christmas, in response to “great tensions” in the sectors of restoration and culture, said, Tuesday, January 25, the Prime Minister Mark Rutte. “Today we do a big step to deconfine the Netherlands more,” Rutte said at a press conference. This decision “seems contradictory while the number of contaminations explodes, and we must be clear about the fact that we take a risk,” he added.
The shops and hairdressers had been allowed to reopen on January 15, while the bars, restaurants, museums and theaters had to remain closed, agering a part of the population. As a sign of protest against these measures, some museums have turned into a beauty salon the time of a day.
60,000 new daily cases
“We are looking for awareness of the limits of what is possible, because of the great tensions and calls for the help of recent days,” Rutte explained.
The Netherlands register some 60,000 new cases daily, but note a drop in hospitalizations and deaths related to COVID-19.
Cafes, bars and restaurants can reopen until 22 hours from Wednesday, with reduced capacity. Customers must have a sanitary pass and wear a mask when they are not sitting. Cinemas, theaters and museums can also reopen to the public. Night clubs remain closed. The events are possible again, bringing together up to 1,250 people indoors.
Measurements for schools are relaxed: classes are no longer systematically closed in case of contamination, only children with symptoms or who have been declared positive must remain at home.