In the Netherlands from Sunday 19 December a new national lockdown is triggered in an attempt to stem the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. This was announced by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the press conference he called for 7 pm: “Holland will go into lockdown again from tomorrow,” said Rutte, defining the move “inevitable due to the fifth wave that is approaching with the Omicron variant ». The head of the Rivm Institute of Public Health, Jaap van Dissel, speaking at the same press conference, said the Omicron variant is expected to become dominant in the Netherlands between Christmas and New Year.
“The spread of the Omicron variant must be slowed down in the short term to keep treatments accessible to all” avoiding the overload of hospitals, which is why “the Cabinet has decided that the Netherlands will enter lockdown from Sunday 19 December” at 5 am ” until at least January 14, ”the government announced. “We will reassess the situation in the days preceding January 14,” added Rutte. Only essential activities will remain open, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, which will operate until 8pm; non-essential shops, cinemas, theaters, museums, concert halls will instead be closed. The catering services will work with delivery and take away. As for the meetings, with the Christmas holidays approaching, the rules are as follows: it will not be possible to receive at home more than 2 people per day aged 13 and over; the exceptions will be 24, 25 and 26 December and New Year’s Eve, when the number will increase to 4. Only groups of two will be able to meet outdoors.
Schools will remain closed at least until January 9, while on January 3 the government will decide what to do from January 10 onwards. All indoor sports cannot be practiced (except swimming lessons), while the places dedicated to outdoor sports will remain open between 5 am and 5 pm For the over 18s, outdoor sports are allowed for one maximum of 2 people and keeping 1.5 meters away. The events will be prohibited, with the exception of sports competitions without an audience, the weekly markets and funerals up to a maximum of 100 participants. Christmas markets are prohibited.