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THE NETHERLANDS WILL go into “partial lockdown” to curb one of Europe’s biggest coronavirus surges, with all bars, cafes and restaurants to close, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said.
The sale of alcohol and cannabis will also be banned after 8pm in a bid to reduce the social contacts that have led to the rise in Covid-19 cases, Rutte said of the steps.
After long refusing to make the wearing of masks compulsory, Rutte finally ordered that non-medical face coverings must also be worn in all indoor spaces by people aged over 13.
“We are going into a partial lockdown. It hurts but it’s the only way, we have to be stricter,” Rutte told a televised press conference.
“If we do all of this, we can quickly return to a more normal life.”
‘Intelligent lockodown’
The rules will take effect at 10pm today and will last for an initial period of two weeks, when the government will review whether they have halted the spread of the virus.
The Dutch government for months opted for what Rutte called an “intelligent lockdown” policy that was far more relaxed than its European neighbours.
But it has scrambled to control the second wave of the disease.
The Netherlands currently has the third highest rate of new infections per 100,000 people in Europe over the last 14 days, behind only the Czech Republic and Belgium, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
‘No more soft drugs’
Dutch health authorities reported a daily record of 7,393 new coronavirus infections, with 43,903 new cases over the past week and 150 deaths.
Among the new measures, team sports for over 18s are banned, while people are now limited to having three visitors at their home per day. The new steps largely target the catering and entertainments industry where the government says the disease is spreading.
Restaurants and cafes will close for everything except takeaway, as will the Netherlands’ famous “coffee shops” that sell cannabis.
“No more alcohol or soft drugs will be sold or delivered between 8:00pm and 7:00am,” the government’s new regulations say, while public consumption of either is also banned during those hours.
The Netherlands has also lagged behind other European countries in ordering the wearing of masks, but Rutte said he wanted to “settle a lingering discussion once and for all”.
The Dutch government gave “urgent advice” to wear masks in its last set of measures two weeks ago, but “that did not provide sufficient clarity” and many people continued to go without them, said Rutte.
Rutte, who marks ten years in power today, has faced growing criticism over the government’s failure to rein in coronavirus cases.
Populist opposition parties in particular have been using the Covid-19 crisis to push their case ahead of Dutch elections in March.
- © AFP 2020.
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Could never understand why the Dutch took such a direction considering the countries population lives in very close proximity to each other. Strange going into a premises and no one wearing masks. Something was going to give.
@Jason Healy: Spot on.
@Jason Healy: what’s so strange about going into a premises where nobody wears a mask. ? Surely that’s normal, or at least it is, until tonight 22.00 hrs. All the government has done is drive people together in circumstances that are less open to scrutiny. My place will be open as a soeak easy for all upcoming matches, starting with Celtic v Rangers this weekend. We’d have been better off in the boozer but you reap what you sow. No boozer, people will congregate then without scrutiny. So what has that achieved.?
The WHO is saying that lockdowns are not the solution, that they cause more problems than they solve – I thought we were supposed to listen to the experts? Maybe the WHO been pulled down from their pedestal; I must have missed that memo.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: “Lockdowns just have one consequence that you must never ever belittle, and that is making poor people an awful lot poorer” Dr David Nabarro WHO
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: you’ve just cherry picked one thing that he said and ignored the rest of the interview. Did you watch the full thing? He outlined a number of reasons why lockdown would be warranted.
@The Guru: Please enlighten us – he made it very clear that a lockdown was only warranted at the early stages to consolidate, and after that prolonged lockdowns cause more damage. The lockdown prescriptions being advocated 6 months into the pandemic after we’ve gone through a consolidation phase run contrary to the advice from the WHO.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: here’s an article that explains it further: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/10/13/who-warning-about-covid-19-coronavirus-lockdowns-is-taken-out-of-context/
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: lockdowns work extremely well as proven in many countries… New Zealand, Vietnam..etc etc.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: Watch the interview in full. Short term necessary, long term bad. Simple.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: he actually said that lockdowns shouldn’t be the primary measure, not that they shouldn’t be used at all.
@Darren Sheridan: exactly. They stated that short term to get numbers back under control would be warranted but not long term. Increase of numbers would fall into thst category.
@Fintan Mac Giolla Pharic: We don’t hear any alternative suggestions from you?
@windbag: lies have worked better then lock down
The sale of cannabis, unfortunately Ireland is so backward it’ll take another few decades before its legalised here, garda resources being wasted arresting people with cannabis.
@SB: if they’re arresting suppliers then it’s good use of resources. There aren’t too many normal Joe’s peddling hash in cellophane bags on street corners.
@GrumpyAulFella: “peddling hash on street corner” haha. I’ve seen a few of your comments now but that proves it, you do in fact live u nd er a rock. Peo ple like you have never lived, no wo nder you’re a lockdown lover.
Lockdowns don’t work https://youtu.be/gJq8MBgYJ4Q
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: This has been explained, lockdowns definitely work but they aren’t a long term solution.
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: not you again… get a life man..
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: but they do. Uncontrolled opening up is the problem.
@windbag: you are a wind bag…. Delaying the inevitable. Let the bloody thing run its course. Social distance…. But closing things is going to cause more harm than good.
@Caoimhín O’Cheallacháin: and that’s why there closing down up in northern Ireland… but you know best eh..
Intelligent Lock-o-Down , amateur hour in the journal yet again ,
@Thomas Ormsby: What do you mean, thats what everyone calls them now, a locko-down, way more fun than that old word.
The Dutch response was way more pragmatic than what we’ve seen in Ireland. The country was almost operating normally, with all bars, cafes, restaurants open, with the only restriction being a strict 10pm closure.
So its sad to see them fall back on Lockdown, which dosen’t really work at all. People who point to China as the proof of strict lockdown working, like Sam McConkey need their head examined.
Does he really think you could imprison people in their homes and weld up the doors in a liberal democracy like Ireland,
Of course they can do that in China. Its a brutal dictatorship.
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