Netherlands imposes weeks-long nationwide lockdown amid omicron-fueled case surge

[progree]

Source: The Hill via MSN.com

The Netherlands is imposing a weeks-long nationwide lockdown amid a surge of cases caused by the new omicron variant.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Saturday that nonessential stores, bars and restaurants will be shut down from Sunday until Jan. 14 and that schools will be shut down until Jan. 9, The Associated Press reported.

On Christmas and New Year's, Dutch households will be allowed only four visitors. Only two visitors will permitted on all other days during the lockdown.

...

The Netherlands is now at the forefront of a number of European countries tightening restrictions as the omicron variant spreads across the continent and nations mark some of their highest daily COVID-19 case numbers since the pandemic began.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/netherlands-imposes-weeks-long-nationwide-lockdown-amid-omicron-fueled-case-surge/ar-AARX8Hn?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

---

"The Associated Press reported" --
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-europe-restrictions-reimposed-omicron-dcf7d5733163d3c851fa27f99edca92b

Some excerpts from that:

Denmark has closed theaters, concert halls, amusement parks and museums. Ireland imposed an 8 p.m. curfew on pubs and bars and limited attendance at indoor and outdoor events.

In the Netherlands, shoppers fearing the worst swarmed to commercial areas of Dutch cities earlier Saturday, thinking it might be their last chance to buy Christmas gifts.

Rotterdam municipality tweeted that it was “too busy in the center” of the port city and told people: “Don’t come to the city.” Amsterdam also warned that the city’s main shopping street was busy and urged people to stick to coronavirus rules.

... Scientists are warning the British government it needs to go further to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. Leaked minutes from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies suggested a ban on indoor mixing and hospitality, the BBC reported.

[progree]

1. Top 10 countries in world in daily new cases per capita. Netherlands is #8

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-cases.html
Magnificent map, hover your mouse over a country to see its stats and 14 day trend, or in the table below
No paywall, no quota

Leaving aside countries with less than 100,000 population, the countries with the highest per capita new case rates, 7 day moving average (listed in order of highest first):

#1 Denmark, #2 Slovakia, #3 Switzerland, #4 Czech Republic, #5 U.K., #6 Eswatini (former Swaziland), #7 Norway, #8 Netherlands, #9 Ireland, #10 Georgia

Interestingly, the Netherlands has a 14 day drop of 30% (7 day average through Dec 17 compared to 7 day average through Dec 3), and from the mini-graph, its been a steady drop.

[progree]

2. Eswanti (former Swaziland) -

Eswanti is about 180 miles east of Pretoria and Johannesburg, surrounded on 3 sides by South Africa and on the east by Mozambique.

Pretoria and Johannesburg are in South Africa's Gauteng province -- the epicenter of South Africa's Omicron outbreak.

Eswanti area: 6,704 square miles (equivalent to a square 82 miles X 82 miles in area, in between New Jersey and Connecticut in size)
population: 1.16 million (2020)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini

[Lucky Luciano]

11. I was there once! (Eswatini actually) I intentionally detoured through the country while...

Last edited Mon Dec 20, 2021, 10:38 PM - Edit history (1)

…driving through South Africa on an amazing trip by myself. I really enjoyed Lesotho more than I expected to as well.

[BigmanPigman]

3. I follow Worldometers and you're right about the

cases dropping from a week ago in the Netherlands. Italy, France, Spain and the UK are soaring.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/netherlands/

[appalachiablue]

4. Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave, BBC, 6 hrs ago

The Netherlands has announced a strict lockdown over Christmas amid concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant. Non-essential shops, bars, gyms hairdressers and other public venues will be closed until at least mid-January. Two guests per household will be allowed - four over the holidays. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the measures were "unavoidable". Countries across Europe have been tightening restrictions as the heavily mutated variant spreads.

The new rules in the Netherlands - the strictest to have been announced over Omicron so far - come into force on Sunday. "I stand here tonight in a sombre mood. And a lot of people watching will feel that way too," Mr Rutte told a news conference on Saturday. "To sum it up in one sentence, the Netherlands will go back into lockdown from tomorrow." (Booster at least 80% effective against severe Omicron. How can I tell I have Omicron? Covid map: Where are cases the highest?).

Under the new rules, people are being urged to stay at home as much as possible. Strict limits will be placed on the number of people who can meet - a maximum of two guests aged 13 and over will be allowed in people's homes, and four on 24-26 December and on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Events are not permitted other than funerals, weekly markets selling groceries and professional sports matches with no spectators.

All schools will be closed until at least 9 January, while other lockdown measures will remain in place until at least 14 January. Restaurants can continue to sell takeaway meals, and non-essential shops can offer click and collect services. The BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague said the announcement was being met with disbelief and dismay...
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59713503

[progree]

5. Thanks much, I found this interesting: 85% of all adults have been vaxxed, less than 9% have

had booster shots (in The Netherlands).

also,

"the United Kingdom - the hardest hit country in the region, with nearly 25,000 confirmed Omicron cases on Saturday."

[appalachiablue]

8. Sure. What's w low Boosters in Netherlands? Poor UK..

[bucolic_frolic]

6. I'm sure we won't be doing that in the US

Politically impossible.

[SergeStorms]

7. Although it would probably save.....

tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. you're absolutely correct. A certain political party, that worships an orange criminal who cares only about himself, will never allow the one action that might very well save their miserable lives.

These people are as selfish and egotistical as the moron they worship. I'd like to say, "so what, let them contract the virus and die", but they'll end up taking so many people with them who actually took precautions, it shames me to say that. Too bad none of them are capable of feeling any of that shame themselves.

[pstokely]

10. they don't want to be saved

how do they feel about quick assisted suicides if they're on the vent?

[Ms. Toad]

12. Way too many in our party are still refusing to take simple precautions,

beyond vaccination.

So the resistance to a lock-down (or even mandatory masking) isn't just Republican idiocy - much as I might wish it were.

[SergeStorms]

13. I haven't seen that in my area.

Perhaps things are different where you live. Trumpers are, by far, the people who refuse to wear masks, social distance, or get vaccinated where I live.

How can I tell they're Trumpers? They stick out like a turd in a punch bowl in the College town where I live. And they're damned proud of their ignorance.

[Ms. Toad]

15. You must not have been reading DU either. n/t

[SergeStorms]

16. What does that mean?

I just pass my hand over the computer screen and it enters my mind through osmosis?

Please, clarify.

[Ms. Toad]

17. There are several posts a day from members of DU

Who say they are vaxxed, so they aren't going to do anything else (no mask wearing, no social distancing, etc.), and who encourage similarly reckless behavior in others.

So it isn't a matter geography - My comment was directed at what anyone reading DU had hte ability to see.

[SergeStorms]

18. I haven't seen those.

Of course I don't read and critique every post on DU, so that makes you the expert here.

Carry on with the monitoring, and please don't hesitate to put people like me in our place when we don't meet your expectations of DU readership.

Have a wonderful day.

[Ms. Toad]

19. No need to read every post -

Your assertion is that it is the other side of the political aisle, but it is obvious from a casual read of DU that there is substantial resistance to taking steps beyond vaccination on our side of the political aisle as well.

[keep_left]

20. I've seen those same posts myself. n/t

[Thtwudbeme]

14. agreed

Just look at some of the posters on DU- it's horrifying.

[pstokely]

9. what about some states?

although that's also politically impossible even in the solid blue states coming into a midterm year that might look like overreactions 9 months from now, even mask mandates are politically impossible in many places now