At a press conference on 13 April, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced that the lockdown and night-time emergency will remain in force until (at least) 27 April. However, the Prime Minister revealed that after-school programmes would reopen on 19 April.
Press conference for coronavirus measures in the Netherlands
Last week, rumours emerged that the Dutch government was expected to lift a series of restrictions aimed at the coronavirus pandemic period from 21 April, provided the number of infections remained low. However, Rutte and De Jonge confirmed at Tuesday's press conference that the national restrictions will remain in place for a little longer.
While Rutte did not announce any more changes than originally planned, he did confirm that after-school programmes (BSO) will reopen on 19 April. Until now, BSO has only worked for children whose parents work in key socio-economic sectors or with a precarious situation at home.
De Jonge outlined a tough plan for lifting restrictions, which hopefully included reopening higher education on April 26 and lifting the night-time emergency and opening terraces on April 28.
Semi-lockdown extended until 27 April
No further restrictions have been announced, but the following measures will remain in place until 27 April:
> 22:00 - 04:30 state of national emergency
> All bars, restaurants and cafes are closed (open for take-away only)
> Coffee shops are closed (open for orders until 20:00)
> Shops are open for click, collection and shopping by appointment only
> Sale of alcohol banned after 8pm
> Universities are closed
> Museums are closed
> Cinemas are closed
> Zoos are closed
> Theatres are closed
> Casinos are closed
> Theme parks are closed
> Public pools and saunas are closed (pools are only open for children's lessons)
> Sports halls and other indoor sports facilities are closed
> Libraries are closed (open for checkout)
> Maximum one guest at home per day (except for children under 13)
> When you are outside, the maximum group size is two people (if not from the same family)
> Stay at home, work from home and limit travel as much as possible
> If you experience symptoms, stay home
> Ban all events (except demonstrations)
> Wear a mask in all indoor public areas and on public transport
Prime Minister Rutte also said that the restrictions would be lifted once the peak of the third wave had passed. The government will review the measures and the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in the Netherlands in the coming days, the next press conference is scheduled for 20 April.
All data on the current status of the pandemic and vaccination can be found at Coronavirus Dashboard.
Photo credit: Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash
