Shortly before Christmas, the Netherlands imposed a new strict lockdown due to the Omikron variant of the corona virus. From this Sunday on, almost all shops, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities, schools and hairdressers have to close. The only exceptions are shops such as supermarkets and pharmacies, which are important for the supply.
“I’m in a gloomy mood here tonight,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte in his announcement. The renewed lockdown is “inevitable” in view of the fifth wave. The omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading “even faster than feared,” said Rutte after consulting a panel of experts. “We have to intervene to prevent worse.”
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As a rule, you can only receive two guests at home – only four at Christmas. The lockdown should initially apply until January 14th, i.e. into the new year. There will be no curfew for the time being, said Rutte. So far, an “evening lockdown” has already applied in the neighboring German country with around 17.5 million inhabitants. Most shops, restaurants and cultural and sports facilities had to close at 5 p.m.
[Lesen Sie auch: Die fünfte Welle: Was die Verbreitung von Omikron für Deutschland bedeutet (T+)]
On Saturday, people streamed into the city centers across the country; long queues formed in front of hairdressers and shops. Many Dutch people now wanted to do their Christmas shopping practically at the last minute. The center of Rotterdam was so overcrowded in the afternoon that the city administration called for people not to come back to the city center.
The government advisory body had urgently advised the stricter lockdown because of the Omikron variant. Time must be gained to protect as many people as possible from Covid 19 disease with a booster vaccination. The Netherlands is behind with booster vaccinations compared to other countries.
According to the experts, the Omikron variant is spreading much faster than previously expected. In Amsterdam, the number of infections doubles every two to three days. It was said that this variant would be dominant in the capital even before Christmas. At the moment, the number of new infections is falling. However, the hospitals are under great pressure, so experts fear that they will not be able to cope with a further influx of patients.
In the past seven days, the number of new infections decreased by about 24 percent compared to the previous week. The seven-day incidence on Saturday was 617. For comparison: In Germany, almost 322 infections per 100,000 inhabitants were recently registered in seven days.