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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has held emergency meetings on the rising rate of Covid-19 infections and was expected to announce stricter lockdown measures during a televised speech tonight.
Key members of the Dutch government were considering stricter social restrictions, and Mr. Rutte took the unusual step of inviting the heads of all political parties in parliament to the talks, the national news agency ANP reported.
He was scheduled to head into the country from his office on a rare broadcast at 6pm Irish time.
New coronavirus infections in the country of 17 million rose by nearly 10,000 in the 24 hours to yesterday morning, data released by national health authorities showed, the largest increase in more than six weeks.
The Netherlands has recorded more than 600,000 cases and 10,000 deaths during the coronavirus pandemic.
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National broadcaster NOS, citing government sources, said the measures could include closing all non-essential stores for several weeks and keeping schools closed beyond the two-week Christmas break starting Friday.
Other public buildings, such as museums, cinemas and zoos, may also be closed, NOS reported.
Despite the restrictions, the commercial districts of the Netherlands have been crowded for weeks, with infections spiked after the December 5 gift-giving celebrations that mark the birthday of Saint Nicholas.
Germany is likely to be on lockdown until early next year
Germany is unlikely to lift its coronavirus lockdown early next year, said a senior adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel, indicating that Europe’s largest economy will have to grapple with restrictions well into winter.
Merkel and German state leaders agreed to close most stores from Wednesday to January 10 to reverse the tide of Covid-19 infections.
“Complete easing is very, very unlikely,” Helge Braun, the chancellor’s chief of staff, told RTL broadcaster.
“January and February are always difficult months in terms of respiratory tract infections.”
Under the strictest rules, only essential stores like supermarkets and pharmacies, as well as banks, will remain open from December 16. Hair salons, hair salons, and tattoo parlors will also have to close.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Diseases reported more than 16,000 new cases and 188 deaths today, nearly half of the daily infections reported at the end of last week. But the drop could be related to less testing and less data transfer to the RKI over the weekend.
Merkel had hoped that a “lockdown lite” imposed in November would significantly reduce infections to a level that would allow Germans to celebrate Christmas and the New Year under almost normal circumstances.
But those hopes have been dashed by the stubbornly high infection numbers given to the chancellor, whose fourth and final term ends in less than a year, no choice but to seek a hard lockdown.
London Faces Moving to Level 3 as Cases Rise
London faces being moved to the highest level of coronavirus restrictions, with a decision made today.
Level 3 restrictions in the capital could have a massive impact on the economy, with pubs and restaurants forced to close except for take-out services during the busy Christmas period.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has suggested that schools could close early for Christmas and reopen later in January to control the spread of the virus, with online lessons to replace missed classes.
He also called for massive tests in schools to help identify outbreaks.
Khan said that if the capital moves from Tier 2 to Tier 3, the government must provide additional support.
He said that imposing the toughest level in the capital would be a “forceful instrument”, arguing that the increase in cases was not related to places of hospitality, but was due to a significant increase in schools and universities.
Khan said ministers could take advantage of a meeting on Monday to decide the status of London rather than wait for Wednesday’s review of England’s tiering.
Additional reporting PA
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