AMSTERDAM: Social curbs in the Netherlands might be extended through the end-of-year holidays due to stubbornly excessive COVID-19 infection rates, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated on Tuesday (Dec 8).
Rutte made the announcement after figures confirmed that infection rates on a weekly foundation rose for the first time since October.
“It is actually not going nicely – not with the infection rate and never on the hospitals,” Rutte stated in a stay TV broadcast. “I do not exclude that I might be again right here earlier than Christmas to announce additional (lockdown) measures.”
The Netherlands has been in what the government calls a “partial lockdown” since Oct 13, below which individuals are suggested to work from home and non-essential travel and public gatherings are banned.
Rutte had hoped an enhancement in infections would allow an easing of restrictions throughout Christmas and New Yr’s Eve celebrations.
However, the authorities selected Tuesday to extend a restriction of three grownup guests per family by one month till Jan 15, whereas restaurants and bars will stay closed.
There have been 43,103 new infections registered within the week ended Dec 8, the Nationwide Institute for Health RIVM stated in its weekly update, up 27 percent from 33,949 in the week before.
The Netherlands has recorded more than 500,000 COVID-19 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths.
The RIVM is known as the weekly enhance in new instances “worrying” and famous that hospitalizations had also elevated to 1,229 from 1,007 the week earlier than.
Rutte’s government, which rejected World Health Group’s recommendation from June to advocate using non-medical masks in public locations, reversed course in November. Sporting masks grew to become mandatory in public buildings on Dec 1.
