The Dutch government on Tuesday extended its coronavirus measures until January 14, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte saying that to protect the elderly, this year there would be “no cuddling the grandkids beneath the Christmas tree.”
“I understand that this is a bitter message,” Rutte said as he announced that schools would close for Christmas a week earlier than planned. “But it is absolutely necessary to minimize contact between kids and the elderly.”
From 5 p.m. to 5 a.m, non-essential shops, restaurants, bars and cultural venues will remain closed, with supermarkets allowed to stay open until 8 p.m.
The government decided to keep up its tough measures despite the country having reported an average of 16,640 positive cases a day over a seven-day period, significantly lower than in previous weeks. Instead, it intends to set up a long-term plan for tackling the virus.
One of the measures announced was the speeding up of the booster campaign for vaccines in response to the Omicron variant. From January, everyone over the age of 18 will be able to get an additional jab.
The country currently has a 72 percent double-vaccination rate but is near the back of the pack when it comes to giving people a booster jab, according to figures from the Dutch agency for disease control and prevention (RIVM).