The Dutch government has announced a Christmas lockdown amid rising Omicron variant cases in the country. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that from Sunday onwards the Netherlands will go back into lockdown. The lockdown will persist beyond Christmas and will last until mid-January for now.
With the announcement of the lockdown, people were seen doing last-minute shopping on Saturday. During the lockdown period, all non-essential places such as cinemas, cultural venues, bars, restaurants, and stores other than grocery stores will be closed until January 14. Whereas as per government guidelines, the schools will remain shut till January 9.
Earlier, the Dutch authorities closed down the primary schools way before the decided schedule because the Omicron spread was on the rise. The bars, restaurants, and shops were told to close by 5 PM. In addition to this, up to 4 people were allowed to visit the homes of their friends and family at a time.
According to the Dutch Prime Minister, the rapidly growing Omicron cases are a big concern for the nation and they must do something about it. The increase in Omicron variant cases might stir up the fifth wave of Covid-19 which the government worries about the most. The nation is extra cautious despite having more than 85 percent of the population vaccinated.
Nevertheless, the Netherlands stepping back into lockdown is not surprising. Recently, Ursula von der Leyen who’s the President of the European Commission warned the European nations on the possibility of coronavirus surge in the continent. As per the EU chief, the Omicron may be the dominant variant by mid-January so the nations must take precautions. Henceforth, many governments have put travel and other kinds of restrictions to curb the spread of newly detected covid variant.
In Ireland, bars and restaurants are instructed to close by 8 PM while in London most of the covid registered cases are of Omicron. The city mayor Sadiq Khan has suggested that this is surely a big concern for the country. Authorities have already imposed restrictions and talks on lockdown are still underway.
Meanwhile, the German health agency has recorded the United Kingdom along with France and Denmark under high-risk covid countries so travelers from the UK have to face tight rules. As per German guidelines, travelers from high-risk zones must quarantine for 14 days even if they are vaccinated. Considering the soaring Omicron cases, the French government had decided to cancel all New Year events.
According to French Health Minister Olivier Veran, if everything goes well the government’s rollout to children will begin by December 22. Furthermore, the countries in Europe are aiming for booster jabs as well as wider vaccination programs for children and grown-ups to avoid the Omicron surge.