Tonight at 7 PM, the outgoing Dutch cabinet will announce new coronavirus measures. It is expected that the Netherlands will go into a “hard lockdown.”
Prime Minister Rutte and Minister of Health Hugo de Jone will be in attendance, as usual. However, the Head of Infectious Disease and Control at RIVM, Jaap van Dissel, will also be present.
An emergency meeting is taking place this afternoon to discuss the measures before tonight’s press conference, reports the NOS.
Outbreak Management Team advises hard lockdown
The OMT has advised the cabinet to implement strict lockdown measures to combat the spread of the Omicron variant.
So what does this mean? This means that there is a possibility that all non-essential shops such as gyms, restaurants, cafes, museums, cinemas, theatres should close. Only essential shops like the supermarket should remain open.
READ MORE | The Netherlands expects booster shots for everyone by Mid-March
The experts also say that schools and other educational institutions should also close down.
Omicron a serious concern
The Omicron variant has shown to be highly infectious — two to three times more so than the Delta variant. Amsterdam is already seeing a spike in infections due to the new variant.
We’ll just have to wait and see what the cabinet says tonight, but we should probably prepare ourselves for another winter at home. 😞🏠
Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest coronavirus news and updates.
Feature Image: PhotographerFromAmsterdam/Depositphotos
