A tightening of current measures runs the risk of inflaming an already tense situation in the Netherlands.
“We are keeping our ears and eyes open and we are preparing,” said Gijs van Nimwegen, the Rotterdam police spokesman. “Let’s hope the situation remains calm, throughout the Netherlands and in Rotterdam,” he added.
The Netherlands reintroduced a partial lockdown last week, with new sanitary restrictions in the restaurant sector. The government also plans to prohibit the unvaccinated from going to certain places, such as bars or restaurants.
For the second year, New Year’s fireworks, which often leave many injured, are banned. The goal is not to saturate the hospitals.
Among the measures, the government recommends teleworking and not inviting more than 4 people at home.
Public demonstrations are prohibited and football matches are played behind closed doors.
Despite these measures, the Netherlands, a country of 17 million inhabitants, still registers more than 22,000 new infections a day.
These figures alarmed the Executive, which decided to advance the prime minister’s press conference by one week.
The team of experts (OMT), which offers recommendations to the government since the beginning of the pandemic, nevertheless rejects the closure of schools and universities.
Despite an increase in cases of contagion among students, the UNWTO estimates that a new closure could influence the development of children and young people.
In the last two press conferences, the prime minister focused on the clashes between the police and protesters in The Hague.
Last Friday, in Rotterdam, a protest against the restrictions, called on social media, ended in riots, with cars set on fire and injured, including policemen.
In all, 173 people have been detained across the country since Friday. In addition, two rioters were sentenced to prison for throwing stones at the police.
Source From: Ambito
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