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LONG QUEUE: A long queue for the De Tweede Kamer coffee shop in Amsterdam. Photo: Peter Dejong / AP
Full closure and a maximum of three guests on Christmas Eve, is Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s message on Monday. There were long lines outside the famous coffee shops in Amsterdam.
– The Netherlands is closing, the prime minister said at a press conference Monday night.
The closure of the country will last from December 15 to January 19.
– When I gave my first television speech on crown almost nine months ago, I sincerely hoped that it would also be my last. This is how it looked for a long time, but unfortunately today I have to address you in this way once again. With another intrusive message, says Rutte according to the newspaper De Volkskrant.
The new measures force the closure of all stores that are not considered absolutely necessary, in addition to hairdressers and wellness salons.
CLOSURE: Prime Minister during Monday night’s press conference, where he announced that the whole of the Netherlands will enter a five-week lockdown. Photo: BART MAAT / ANP
Schools and kindergartens are also physically closed during the period, and the authorities encourage everyone who can to work from home.
In the last week, the country has seen a drastic increase in corona cases. A summary by the Dutch health authorities shows that the country has received almost 8,500 new cases in the last 24 hours, and the number of new Sundays registered reached 10,000.
Rutte says the coronavirus is spreading faster than they expected last week.
– Every day, an average of 60 people die with a crown, according to De Volkskrant.
VG’s corona survey shows that the country so far has had more than 632,000 cases of infection and 10,168 corona-related deaths.
Queues outside cafeterias
After news of the closure reached, long lines have formed in front of hair salons and so-called coffee shops, which sell marijuana, NTB reports.
– It’s completely wild here now. Everyone thinks the coffee shops will be closed tomorrow. I hope they can stay open for take out, if not, there will be street sales, Bart van der Wal tells NTB outside a marijuana shop in Amsterdam.
However, some stores remain open during the period: supermarkets, bakeries, butchers and food markets may remain open, in addition to pharmacies, gas stations, dry cleaners and opticians.
Frame the Christmas celebrations
The new measures mean that you can meet a maximum of two people other than the household at the same time. This is demonstrated by the summary of the new measures by the television station Nederlandse Omroep Stichtings (NOP).
Between Christmas Eve and the second day of Christmas, the number is expanded to three, which means that the Dutch can have a maximum of three guests on Christmas Eve.
Even if kindergartens close, it is opened so that vulnerable children and those with parents with socially critical jobs can come to kindergarten. Schools will teach digitally during the period.
At the press conference it was also revealed that the government advises against travel that is not necessary until mid-March.
