Tag Archives: Prime Minister Mark Rutte

Dutch reimpose COVID curbs as cases jump in young adults

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch government reimposed COVID-19 curbs on nightclubs, music festivals and restaurants on Friday in an effort to halt a surge in COVID-19 infections among young adults.

The Netherlands lifted most lockdown measures on June 26, as cases were falling. Roughly two-thirds of the population has had at least one vaccination shot.

But, with bars, restaurants and nightclubs open again, new infections have risen at the fastest pace in months, with nearly7,000 cases reported over the 24-hours through to Friday morning. That compared with fewer than 1,000 a week earlier.

“Partly because of the Delta variant, infections are rising very fast,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

“Our goal is to rein in the virus, protect the vulnerable groups and make sure the healthcare system is not overrun.”

The measures included earlier closing of cafes and restaurants and a return to social distancing and fixed seating for diners or concert-goers. All dance venues and nightclubs will be closed because it will be impossible to ensure social distancing.

Festivals spread over several days would be cancelled and large public gatherings restricted to smaller groups, Rutte said.

The curbs would go into effect at 0500 GMT on Saturday and remain until Aug. 14, the government said.

So far, the new spike in infections has not led to an increase of COVID-19 patients in hospitals.

But health minister Hugo de Jonge said the current low level of hospital admissions could be threatened by an “unprecedented” increase in infections.

Around three-quarters of new cases in the Netherlands are occurring among young people and more than half are of the more infectious Delta variant, the health minister said this week.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Writing by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Andrew Heavens)

Dutch to allow bars, restaurants to reopen in ‘calculated risk’

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands will ease COVID-19 lockdown measures next week, allowing bars and restaurants to serve indoors and museums to reopen in what Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday called a “calculated risk.”

“We are moving from closed, unless, to open, unless,” he told reporters.

Infections have fallen by more than half in the past month as the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations gathers pace, allowing a further easing of the lockdown, which has been in effect in various stages for almost eight months.

Previous steps in recent weeks allowed for secondary schools to reopen and for meals and drinks to be served on outdoor terraces until 8 p.m.

Bars and restaurants will now also be allowed to serve customers indoors and to stay open until 10 p.m., Rutte said.

At home, people will be allowed to receive four visitors at a time, up from the present two.

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said the drop in infections was mainly due to vaccinations.

“Almost half the people over 18 have had their first jab,” De Jonge said.

The government also announced that if infections stay at the current level, more restrictions will be lifted on June 30.

From that date, sports matches will be allowed, restaurants will be able to serve up to 100 people and stay open till midnight. At home, people will be allowed to receive up to eight guests.

There was bad news for Dutch football fans – large indoor and outdoor screens showing the European Championships, which kick off on June 11, are expressly forbidden.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Chris Reese and Nick Macfie)

Dutch PM Rutte confirms lockdown to last until at least March

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that most of the lockdown measures in the Netherlands, many of which have been in place since October, will remain in place for weeks due to fears over a surge in cases as a result of variant strains.

Rutte’s government is still weighing whether to continue an evening curfew that has triggered rioting in some Dutch cities beyond next week, the prime minister told a press briefing.

The government announced earlier this week that primary schools and daycares will reopen on Feb. 8, adding that it is also looking at possibly reopening secondary schools but that will not happen before March.

“It is inescapable to extend the current lockdown almost entirely until at least March 2,” Rutte said, despite falling case numbers in the Netherlands.

“A third wave is inevitably coming our way,” he said, pointing to new virus strains which are more infectious.

The Netherlands has been in what the government calls a strict lockdown since mid-December and last month imposed a curfew, the country’s first since World War Two, which sparked riots.

The National Institute for Health (RIVM) said on Tuesday there had been 28,628 COVID-19 cases in the past week, down 20% from the week before and the lowest level since lockdown measures were introduced in October.

But this week’s decline “would have been greater without the new variants of the virus that have entered the Netherlands, especially the British Variant,” the RIVM said in a statement.

Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said on Monday that half of the cases were being caused by the new variant as of Jan. 26, up from around a third the week before. The government fears it may cause a new wave ahead of March 17 elections.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Chris Reese and Alexander Smith)

Netherlands proposes first curfew since World War Two, flight bans

By Bart H. Meijer

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government on Wednesday proposed the first nationwide curfew since World War Two and a ban on flights from South Africa and Britain in its toughest moves yet to limit the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the curfew, which is largely intended to target new, more infectious variants of the disease, must be approved by parliament, which is set to debate measures against the coronavirus on Thursday.

The flight ban, which Rutte said also will apply to all South American countries, will begin on Saturday. The curfew was expected to take effect this weekend, he said.

“This is a very tough measure, but we are at a crossroads,” Rutte said in a televised news conference. “The British variant doesn’t leave us with an alternative.”

The curfew would allow only people with pressing needs to leave their homes between 8:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. local time, Rutte said.

Exceptions include medical emergencies, people who need to be outdoors to carry out essential jobs and walking of pets on a leash. Violators can be fined 95 euros ($115).

The government said it will also require all international travelers arriving by airplane or boat to provide proof of a second negative COVID-19 rapid test, taken just before departure. It had already required a negative test taken within 72 hours of travel.

KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France KLM, said that in response to the requirement it will halt 270 weekly long-haul flights and an undetermined number of European flights to the Netherlands from Friday.

“Based on the information we have this will also count for crew members,” said KLM spokeswoman Gerrie Brand. “We cannot take the risk that crew members get stuck abroad, so we have decided to halt all long-haul flights.”

Schools and non-essential shops have already been shut since mid-December, following the closure of bars and restaurants two months earlier. They will remain shut until at least Feb. 9.

Infections in the Netherlands have decreased steadily in the past three weeks, but health authorities say the new variants will lead to a new surge by next month if social distancing measures are not tightened.

The government currently has a caretaker status, as Rutte last Friday handed his resignation to King Willem-Alexander following a damning report on his cabinet’s handling of childcare subsidies.

Rutte has said he will remain to take decisions on COVID-19 policies until a new government is formed after the March 17 elections, seeking broad support for measures from both coalition and opposition parties.

($1 = 0.8264 euros)

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Additional reporting by Toby Sterling; Writing by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Giles Elgood, Angus MacSwan, William Maclean)