Most of the city’s famous shopping streets are mainly echoed by the sound of tourists’ suitcases.
(Photo: imago images / Richard Wareham)
The hague In the Netherlands, a tough lockdown has come into effect in view of the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the coronavirus. Many citizens reacted disappointed, but there were initially no major protests on Sunday.
Since 5 a.m. almost all shops, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities, schools and hairdressers have been closed. Supermarkets and pharmacies are excluded.
Above all, entrepreneurs and innkeepers complained of a loss of income. They demanded compensation for the discontinuation of the Christmas business. Trade unions spoke of “another heavy blow” for workers in the hospitality and retail sectors. Schools also expressed concern about the consequences for students.
Around 6.9 million Dutch people followed Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s announcement live on TV on Saturday evening. Some cities had prepared for unrest, but it did not materialize. A few weeks ago there had been violent riots in several cities.
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Many citizens are disappointed that big celebrations at Christmas and New Year’s Eve are now not possible. Each household can only receive two guests. Up to four visitors are only allowed over Christmas and at the turn of the year. Even outdoors, a maximum of two people are allowed to come together.
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands announces new tightening of the corona policy during a press conference.
(Photo: dpa)
The Prime Minister had justified the lockdown with the extremely rapid spread of the Omikron variant. According to calculations by the health authorities, up to 4,000 Covid patients would be in intensive care units at the beginning of February without drastic interventions. There are currently around 600 and the hospitals are already at the limit of their capacity. An “evening lockdown” has already applied. Most shops, restaurants and cultural and sports facilities had to close at 5 p.m.
Rapid expansion of the omicron variant
According to the experts, the Omikron variant is spreading much faster than previously expected. In Amsterdam, the number of infections doubles every two to three days. It was said that this variant would be dominant in the capital even before Christmas.
At the moment, the number of new infections is falling. However, the hospitals are under great pressure, so experts fear that they will not be able to cope with a further influx of patients.
In the past seven days, the number of new infections decreased by about 24 percent compared to the previous week. The seven-day incidence on Saturday was 617. For comparison: In Germany, almost 322 infections per 100,000 inhabitants were recently registered in seven days.
More: “That has nothing to do with freedom” – A pandemic of rage is raging in Europe