Dutch Government Extends Lockdown into January 2022

By Dejan Vukosavljevic
(Credit: Arenda Oomen)

The government of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has has extended the state of lockdown until Jan. 14, 2022.

The lockdown began on Nov. 13, and was initially set to last until Dec. 3. However, initial measures failed to achieve the goal of lowering the number of infections and were further tightened on Nov. 27.

The country is effectively closed between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. De Nationale Opera is holding matinee performances of its production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” while the Royal Concertgebouw has canceled all evening concerts. The number of spectators is limited to 450 out of 1,600 seats at De Nationale Opera, while the Royal Concertgebouw has been limited to maximum of 425 spectators in the Main Hall, which is a quarter of the seating capacity.

“We have indeed decided to extend the current package until Friday, January 14. Christmas time will not bring the good tidings you hope for,” said Rutte. “We could not ignore the warnings about the Omicron variant,” added the Dutch Prime Minister.

Rutte also stated that it appeared as if the Netherlands has gone beyond the peak of the current coronavirus wave, but the number of infections is still high, over 300 new COVID-19 patients are still admitted to hospitals daily, and the hospitals still have a high number of COVID-19 patients in active treatment.

The seven day incidence in The Netherlands currently stands at 969.

 

 

Categories

News