Almost four weeks after the corona lockdown was imposed in the Netherlands, resistance is increasing. Numerous provinces and entrepreneurs are calling for an end to the measures. Especially in the border regions with Germany and Belgium, entrepreneurs announced that they would open shops and restaurants at the weekend despite the ban. The government will advise on the corona measures on Thursday and want to decide on a relaxation on Friday.
The Netherlands is currently the only country in Europe to have a hard lockdown. Only shops with necessary products such as supermarkets and pharmacies are open. Citizens are allowed a maximum of two visitors. Germany’s neighboring country with 17.5 million inhabitants imposed the measures on December 19 in order to slow down the Omikron variant.
Representatives of the provinces near the German border appealed to the government in the media to relax the measures. 21 mayors from the province of Gelderland in the east declared on Wednesday evening that the limit had been reached for shops, restaurants, and the sports and cultural sectors. “Entrepreneurs and society need perspective.” Colleges and universities are also demanding a relaxation.
In view of the extremely high number of infections, however, Health Minister Ernst Kuipers has so far been skeptical. “In the current circumstances, there is little opportunity to relax very much,” he said. More than 30,000 new infections are registered every day. However, the number of patients in hospitals is falling. (dpa)