Probably not quite what the Dutch government was aiming for
Last night it was quite busy in the city center of Groningen, with large numbers of city-dwellers hoping to enjoy one last evening out, before the new partial lock-down (which came into effect at the end of business hours last night). As reported by OOGTV.
On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) announced that Coronavirus measures in the Netherlands will be tightened after infection figures have risen sharply for several weeks. The headline new regulation is that the hospitality industry must close for four weeks from Wednesday evening at 22:00.
“The first thing that strikes you is the large number of bicycles that are on the Grote Markt,” says an eyewitness. “If you then walk past the bars and restaurants you see that it is very busy everywhere. Terraces are full. Actually you can just say that it is packed.”
According to the eyewitness, everyone tried to comply with the applicable measures as much as possible, despite the large numbers.
The new measures will be evaluated by the Dutch cabinet in two weeks. If the situation has improved, work will start on possible regional measures. Should the situation nevertheless deteriorate, the Netherlands will end up in a full lockdown.
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