COVID-19 in Europe: Netherlands to allow bars, restaurants and cultural venues to reopen
The Dutch government has announced that bars, restaurants, museums, theatres and other venues are to be allowed to re-open under conditions, loosening some of the toughest COVID-19 restrictions in Europe.
For more than a month, bars, restaurants, and cultural venues have been closed, while strict quarantine rules have shut a quarter of primary school classes in the Netherlands.
The announcement by Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening comes despite record new coronavirus infection levels, as hospitalisations from the country's Omicron wave have been lower than initially feared.
“We are taking a big step today to unlock the Netherlands while the infections numbers are really going through the roof,” Rutte told a news conference in The Hague, saying the move was not without risks.
The announcement wasn't all good news for the beleaguered hospitality and cultural sectors, with the opening hours limited to 10 pm, while professional sports teams will only be allowed to fill stadiums to a third of their normal capacities.
Football clubs and administrators protested against the move even before it was officially announced, calling it in a joint statement "a proposal without perspective".
Pressure from local politicians has pushed Rutte's government to ease the restrictions, especially after mayors from 30 municipalities petitioned the government last week.
"I can't explain why here in Breda IKEA is open but the theatre, where people can safely watch a performance, is closed," said Breda's mayor Paul Depla, speaking before the announcement.
"At the moment, the society sees local government in the form of police officers and community service officers, as fines and batons. But that same society, which is under so much pressure,
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