On 28 May, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge gave us good news - the number of infections has fallen enough for the Netherlands to relax measures even further.
Things are going so well that step three of five to reopen the Kingdom of the Netherlands will be put into action faster than originally planned. Instead of introducing the relaxation measures from 9 June, they will be introduced from 5 June. Rutte said the measures "means the end of the state of emergency."
Rutte also explained that the government wants restaurants, cafes, cinemas and theatres to have an extra weekend to be open.
The relaxation measures mark another major step towards the reopening of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with Rutte saying "in principle, almost all locations will open under certain conditions. This is a major change."
Thanks to the decrease in the number of cases
Rutte explained that this is due to the number of infections and hospitalisations continuing to fall and vaccination on the rise. However, he warned that people must continue to follow safety measures such as hand washing, keeping their distance and isolating themselves when symptoms occur.
Eating indoors will resume
From now on you don't need to bring your umbrella to dinner! From 5 June, restaurants and cafés will be able to reopen their doors and tables for indoor dining. However, that doesn't mean staying inside for a few biertjes. At the moment the rule only concerns mealtimes.
Indoor dining will be limited to one person or dwelling per 10m2 and a maximum of 50 people inside. As with terrace dining, a reservation must be made to dine inside.
Extended opening hours for terraces
Good news for those who prefer to dine outdoors, from 5 June outdoor terraces will be open until 10pm.
However, there will be a limit to the number of people who can be on the terrace - a maximum of 50 people.
Even if you're not at a terrace, you'll now be able to buy alcohol from shops until 10pm instead of 8pm.
Exceptions to the rule
There will be exceptions for gatherings of more than 50 people. These include funerals (with a maximum of 100 guests), places with a capacity of 1000 people will be able to admit 250 people, and in cases where people are tested before entering an event.
In all the above cases, a distance of 1.5m should be maintained.
Relaxations for the cultural sector
The arts sector can breathe a sigh of relief. Museums, theatres and cinemas will be able to open their doors to visitors. They will have to make reservations, and museums must keep one visitor per 10m2.
Reservations must also be made for cinemas, theatres and auditoriums, with a maximum of four people per reservation over the age of 12 (children do not count).
From 5 June you will be able to have four guests in the house per day instead of two.
Indoor sports
Adults will be able to play sports together in groups of up to 50 people without social distance. Youth competitions (those up to 17 years old) will be able to take place again. But the public will not be allowed at the events.
The competitions for the over-18s will remain in the air for the time being, but athletes from the same sports club can compete against each other.
Indoor sports facilities such as changing rooms, showers, canteens and saunas will be able to reopen, but a booking will be required beforehand as will a health test. Walking around the facilities requires wearing a mask, which can be taken off during exercise.
Delay in vaccination strategy
Although more and more people are being vaccinated, the Dutch government's vaccination strategy has run into another problem.
Janssen vaccine manufacturers have stopped distributing the vaccine to people over 18. This means that all adults in the Kingdom of the Netherlands who wish to be vaccinated will have received their first dose in mid-July instead of the first of July.
Author: Vanessa Stoica
Photo credit: Rowen Smith on Unsplash
