AMSTERDAM – The Netherlands will enter a second hard blockade, with the closure of all schools and shops for at least five weeks, in a government-led push to fight the coronavirus, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Monday.
“The Netherlands is closing,” he said to the sound of protesters beating pots and pans outside his office in The Hague. “We realize the seriousness of our decisions, just before Christmas.”
The measures, detailed in a rare live television address, include limiting meetings to a maximum of two people, also at home. An exception will be made for three days around Christmas, when three adult visitors will be allowed, he said.
In addition, people were advised to stay home, not to travel to work, and to avoid contact with other people as much as possible.
“The fewer contacts we have, the better. We have to do everything to get to a better place. And yes, it will improve. “
Rutte appealed to people to postpone non-essential international travel until March 15, two months after the previous recommendation.
“The reality is that we are not facing an innocent flu, as some of those protesting outside believe, but a virus that can reach anyone,” he said.
Starting Tuesday, all public places (including daycares, gyms, museums, zoos, cinemas, hairdressers and beauty salons) will close until January 19th. Schools will close until January 18th.
Supermarkets, banks and pharmacies may remain open.
New coronavirus infections in the country, of 17 million, increased by about 8,500 in the 24 hours to Monday morning, according to data released by national health authorities.
This happened a jump of almost 10,000 a day earlier, which was the biggest rise in over six weeks.
The Netherlands has recorded more than 600,000 cases and 10,000 deaths during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the restrictions, the commercial districts of the Netherlands have been crowded for weeks, with an increase in infections following the December 5 gift-giving celebrations on the occasion of St. Nicholas ’birthday.