AMSTERDAM, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Bars and eating places will shut early and sporting occasions can be held with out audiences underneath a three-week, partial lockdown that’s anticipated to be introduced within the Netherlands on Friday night.
Dutch broadcaster NOS stated the primary such measures in Western Europe for the reason that summer time will go into impact on Saturday night in a bid to cease a surge in COVID-19 circumstances, which hit a file on Thursday read more .
Folks can be urged to work at home as a lot as potential, and no audiences can be allowed at sporting occasions within the coming weeks, together with top-level soccer matches. Faculties, theatres and cinemas would stay open.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cupboard will take a closing choice throughout a cupboard assembly on Friday, and can announce the brand new measures throughout a televised information convention scheduled for 1800 GMT.
It was unclear whether or not the federal government would undertake a politically-sensitive advice by its main pandemic advisory panel to restrict entry to public locations to individuals who have been absolutely vaccinated or have had COVID-19 after the lockdown interval.
New coronavirus infections within the nation of 17.5 million have elevated quickly after social distancing measures had been dropped in late September and hit a record of round 16,300 in 24 hours on Thursday.
The brand new wave of infections has put strain on hospitals all through the nation, forcing them to scale back common care once more to deal with COVID-19 sufferers. read more
A brand new lockdown would imply a drastic flip in coverage for the Dutch authorities, which till final month thought {that a} comparatively excessive vaccination charge would imply it may additional ease measures in direction of the tip of the yr.
However it isn’t alone in contemplating strict measures as infections spike to file ranges. Austria on Thursday stated it was days away from putting hundreds of thousands of unvaccinated individuals in lockdown. read more
Round 85% of the grownup Dutch inhabitants has been absolutely vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. Booster pictures have up to now solely been supplied to a small group of individuals with weak immune methods, and can be provided to individuals aged 80 years and older in December.
Reporting by Bart Meijer and Anthony Deutsch; Modifying by Lincoln Feast and Edmund Blair
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
