COVID-19 third wave: Partial lockdown imposed here amid surge in cases

As the Netherlands witnesses, a rise in COVID-19 cases, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced a partial lockdown of three weeks. The lockdown comes into effect from Saturday.

Taking a major hit, night bars, restaurants and supermarkets will have to close by 8 pm and any store selling non-essential products will have to close by 6 pm. Professional matches, if any, will take place in empty stadiums and work from home will be promoted.

Announcing the lockdown, PM Rutte said, "Tonight we have a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching decisions." He further added that social distancing and masks are to return and will be mandatory in public transports and shops.

This is one of the first lockdowns to be announced in months in Western Europe since the new wave of infections took over.

Even Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said that a lockdown will be implemented for the unvaccinated in the country in the two most hard-hit regions from next week. Starting Monday, November 15, unvaccinated citizens of Upper Austria and Salzburg will be allowed to only leave home for essential work.

Addressing the virus spread in various countries, Dr Michael Ryan, World Health Organization head of emergencies, said, "Quite frankly, some countries are in such a difficult situation now that they’re going to find it hard not to put in place restrictive measures, at least for a short period of time, to reduce the intensity of transmission."

The Netherlands recorded over 16,000 new cases on Thursday in 24 hours.

Source : DNA India