What a day it was yesterday — we celebrated the birthday of good ol’ King Willy, gazed at a stunning supermoon (did you see it?!) and before the night was over the Dutch curfew was lifted.
For the first time tonight, people in the Netherlands can go outside after 10 PM without an exemption. That means if you want to:
- Take a midnight walk? Go for it!
- Dance in the street at 3:00 in the morning? Be our guest!
- Drink on a terrace until the sun rises? Ah, not yet.
First curfew since WWII
For the first time since January 23 people will be able to leave their homes at any time. The curfew was originally a “last resort” from the government because of fears it would bring up memories of the last time the Dutch were under curfew, during the German occupation in WWII.
When the curfew was announced, not all Dutch people were in favour: there were protests and riots over the country, and challenges about the legality of it in court. It took an appeal by the government to have the curfew allowed.
READ MORE | Freedom and face masks: a Hong Kong perspective on Dutch anti-measures protests
More relaxations
Saying goodbye to the curfew isn’t the only thing Dutchies will be doing today. Relaxations of coronavirus restrictions are coming into play.
Non-essential shops are allowed to reopen without appointment slots, and terraces can open between limited hours. We can now have two visitors at home each day, and the number of people allowed at funerals has doubled from 50 to 100.
Are you happy to say goodbye to the curfew? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: Jaycee Mariano/Unsplash
i still dont understand how is more important shopping for clothes than Gyms….im not suggesting to allow so many people as before but at least even 10 people per 1 hour would be amazing.