The government is preparing a curfew until February 9th. According to the government, the curfew is necessary due to the British variant of the Coronavirus, which appears to be much more contagious. “It is imperative that we take additional measures as soon as possible,” says outgoing Minister de Jong.
According to informed sources, the curfew is believed to be from 8 PM to 4 PM, but those times can still be changed. The start date also remains unclear. It should be Friday at the earliest, so that employers and other agencies can make preparations. Tomorrow at the beginning of the afternoon, the Council of Ministers will hold a press conference announcing more details.
The preparations for the curfew are well advanced. Only with the employer’s statement that you can prove that you are on the street due to travel between work and home, can you show yourself on the street in the evening. The form data will be posted on rijksoverheid.nl that the employer can fill out.
Sources assume a fine of 95 euros for anyone on the street without a valid reason. Insiders say that there will be no barriers on the street, but implementation will be on the street.
Home visits and air traffic
Another measure is to further restrict home visits. Two people are now permitted to visit, and this can be reduced even further.
There is also talk of further restrictions on air traffic. In addition to the mandatory PCR test, the Cabinet also wants to offer a rapid test to a person traveling to the Netherlands from a high-risk region. That’s the whole world, according to the State Department’s travel advice. The Rapid Test Rule already applies to South Africa and the United Kingdom. It is expected that fewer people will take the plane after that.
The government wants to come up with a wide range of measures, so that primary schools can first reopen on February 9. To achieve this, the pollution numbers on that date should be as low as possible.
D66 so far against curfew
The government is still looking for support for the measure in the House of Representatives, but it looks like it will come. The D66 coalition has opposed the submission so far. The party wants to see more evidence of the measure’s effectiveness and is wondering if it can be enforced. If the party does not agree, the Cabinet hopes to support opposition parties such as GroenLinks or PvdA to obtain a majority in support of the plan.
