The Netherlands will go into “lockdown” over the Christmas period to try to stop a surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Saturday.
All non-essential shops, restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums and theatres must shut from Sunday until January 14, while schools must close until at least January 9, Rutte said.
People are now only allowed two guests at home, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, December 26 and the New Year period when four guests are permitted.
“I stand here tonight in a somber mood,” Rutte told a televised press conference.
“To sum it up in one sentence, the Netherlands will go back into lockdown from tomorrow.
“It is inevitable with the fifth wave and with Omicron spreading even faster than we had feared. We must now intervene as a precaution.”
The Omicron strain would soon overtake the Delta variant in the Netherlands, said the head of the Dutch outbreak management team, Jaap van Dissel.
“Between Christmas and the turn of the year the Omicron variant will become dominant,” van Dissel told the news conference.
The scientist warned that if Omicron’s effect is as strong as Delta’s, hospitalisations could exceed those in the first wave of the disease in early 2020.
“We know that the variant can outflank built-up defences from previous infections or previous vaccinations, especially if that was some time ago,” he said
