The Netherlands will reopen restaurants, museums and interior design cinemas in a major reduction in coronavirus restrictions that Prime Minister Mark Rutte said marked the “end of closure”.
Relaxation of the stricter Dutch COVID measures since the pandemic began will occur on June 5, four days ahead of schedule, as cases decrease and vaccines increase.
“The relaxation that takes effect on June 5 effectively marks the end of the closure,” Rutte said at a news conference.
“We take a calculated risk, if the sky falls next week and the numbers rise again, we will have a new situation. But according to the outbreak management team, it is unlikely.”
The Dutch government had already allowed coffees to be served outside and ended a controversial curfew in April, while allowing it. sex workers and zoos to re-operate earlier this month.
Restaurants will now be allowed to serve indoors and all restaurants will be able to cater for guests until 10 p.m., Rutte said.
However, they will not be allowed to show Euro 2020 football matches on the big screens, he said.
Museums will now be allowed to open with one visitor per square meter and theaters and cinemas can open with a maximum of 50 visitors. Larger spaces with more than 1,000 seats can hold 250 visitors.
However larger numbers can be allowed if coronavirus testing is done to visitors, as was the case with the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in May.
The opening was made earlier than planned to give an additional weekend to restaurants and the cultural sector, Rutte said.
“We think this weekend counts after being closed for so long. People, like me, look forward to concerts, eating at restaurant. “
The Netherlands recorded 25,255 new coronavirus infections between week and Tuesday, 28% less. It has had 1.63 million cases overall and 17,566 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
© 2021 AFP
Citation: Dutch “final blockade” as Covid measures relaxed (2021, May 28) retrieved May 28, 2021 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-dutch-lockdown-covid -eased.html
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