A press conference will take place this evening at 7 PM to address the rising number of coronavirus infections in the Netherlands. It has been announced that the cabinet will close the catering industry from midnight, this will be addressed during the press conference.
According to the NOS, the catering industry will once again have to close at midnight. Apparently, testing-for-entry will come to an end, meaning that the disco floors and late night cafés will likely have to shut their doors.
The cabinet are also looking into restricting the number of attendees at large-scale indoor events to a maximum of 500 people and 1000 for outdoor events.
Political reporter Fons Lambie tells RTL Nieuws that “emergency advice has been requested from the OMT and there will be ministerial consultations. An extra Security Council with the mayors is also expected, so everything is in place to make decisions.”
Whether and which additional measures are put in place depends on the OMT’s advice tonight, says Lambie.
What new restrictions might we see?
Possible new measures may include the cancellation of large, multi-day events, the closure of clubs and discos. On top of this, it is expected that the Testing for Access policy may be temporarily put on hold.
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According to Lambie, these decisions will be based on the OMT’s advice and whether they think that this “peak in infections will lead to more pressure on healthcare.”
Holidays — ciao until next year?
It is also likely that this rapid rise in the coronavirus figures will cause problems for holidaymakers. This concern is echoed by Lambie who says that “we were promised a happy summer, but it looks like the relaxations have come a little too early.”
The EU is expected to release the latest risk status for people travelling from the Netherlands next week. However, De Jonge has already warned that the Netherlands may see its status bumped to red — meaning potential restrictions for hopeful travellers. Be right back, going to go cry for a minute.
It looks like we may have to dig out the sour dough and banana bread recipes again this summer.
What are your thoughts on these possible new restrictions? Tell us in the comments below!
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