AMSTERDAM- Lockdown rules are being extended until April 20 because rising cases mean it would be unsafe to relax the restrictions, Dutch News quoted prime minister Mark Rutte as saying to reporters on Tuesday evening.
The government has agreed to put back the start of the night-time curfew to 10pm from March 31, to take into account the switch to summer time and lighter evenings. Rutte said the decision was unanimously backed by safety board chiefs and the police.
The government also extended its advice not to travel abroad until the middle of May, quashing earlier hopes that people could travel during the school holidays that begin on April 26.
‘We will keep on looking at what we can do, because it all depends on the figures,’ Rutte said. ‘All the models show there is a lot of uncertainty … and we will keep monitoring them. We can work quickly if necessary.’
He pointed out that the situation in the Netherlands is similar to neighbouring countries. Paris reimposed a strict lockdown this week while Germany has extended its lockdown, even though infections there are lower than in the Netherlands.
‘We need to remember that this is not just something that impacts on the Netherlands,’ Rutte said. This is why the recommendation not to travel abroad has been extended to mid-May, he said. ‘This means, stay at home during the May holidays.’
The government cannot yet give any advice about the summer holidays, he said.
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