Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, announced last week the country will continue its strict lockdown policies that include a 9 PM curfew, social-distancing mandates, and the closure of bars and restaurants for at least a month.
The Hill reported the lockdown that is currently in place will extend, at minimum, to 2 March. The Associated Press pointed out this same curfew imposed last month led to violent protests across the country. Bars and restaurants have been forced to close since October. Rutte said he is particularly concerned about the new variants that are spreading.
The country of 17.28 million has recorded a total of one million cases and 14,355 deaths. The AP reported the country has seen a 20-percent decline in new cases. Government health officials say they want to keep the trend going in the right direction.
Rutte warned that people shouldn’t get too comfortable and said it seems unavoidable that there will be yet another wave to sweep across the country thanks to the U.K. variant.
