The Netherlands will impose the first partial lockdown in Western Europe after the summer starting this weekend in an effort to stem the spread of a new wave of covid-19, the state-run Dutch broadcaster NOS reported today.
From tomorrow Saturday, bars, restaurants and junk shops will be closed at 19:00 for at least three weeks, according to NOS, citing a government source.
Citizens will be invited to work from home as much as possible and spectators will not be allowed in sports events. Schools, theaters and cinemas will remain open.
The government of caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte will make the final decision later today and will announce the new measures during a press conference at 20:00 Greek time, which will be broadcast on television.
Covid-19 cases have risen sharply in the country of 17.5 million people since the abolition of social isolation measures in late September and yesterday Thursday the daily number of infections reached 16,264, the highest recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.
The new wave of cases has increased the pressure on hospitals across the country, forcing them to suspend their regular services to take care of patients with covid-19.
A team of experts advising the Dutch government on pandemic management on Thursday recommended imposing a partial lockdown and restricting access to public places for those who are not fully vaccinated or who have not been infected with covid-19.
The imposition of a new lockdown will mean a drastic policy change for the Dutch government, which until October believed that the relatively high rate of vaccinations would allow it to further relax the restrictive measures by the end of the year.
The Netherlands is not the only country considering imposing strict measures in the face of the covid-19 outbreak. Austria announced on Thursday that it was a few days away from imposing a lockdown on its millions of unvaccinated citizens.
Many developed countries rely on a booster dose of covid-19 vaccine to boost herd immunity and prevent their health systems from collapsing during the winter.
About 85% of adults in the Netherlands have been vaccinated against covid-19, but booster doses are only available for the immunocompromised. From December, a reminder dose will be given to those over 80 years old.
As of October, about 55% of patients in Dutch hospitals and 70% of those in the intensive care unit were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, according to the Dutch Institute for Health (RIVM).
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Source From: Capital
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