Prime Minister Mark Rutte wants to announce new tightening this Saturday evening (7 p.m.), announced the government in The Hague. The government’s advisory body had advised a strict lockdown because of the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the virus. A decision on this is to be made after an emergency meeting of the cabinet in the afternoon. The experts had recommended that almost all shops with the exception of supermarkets and pharmacies close. Restaurants, sports, culture, cinemas and schools would also be closed. There is currently an evening lockdown – this means that everything with the exception of supermarkets must close at 5 p.m.
Figures from Amsterdam make it clear that the number of infections with the Omikron variant doubles every two to three days. Experts expect this variant to be dominant in the capital even before Christmas. The hospitals in particular are still under such high pressure that experts fear that they will not be able to cope with a further influx of patients.
Source: Nachrichten
