Most Dutch heeded call to stay home over weekend; Also do so today: Security Council

The majority of Netherlands residents heeded the call to stay home as much as possible over the weekend, according Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen and chairman of the Security Council - the council for the Netherlands' safety regions. He calls on people to also stay home on Easter Monday - traditionally the day when Dutch flock to home improvement stores, NOS reports.

"Going out for a walk in the neighborhood or grocery shopping is fine," Bruls said to the broadcaster. He understands that many will want to go to the garden center or home improvement store today. "But the message remains the same: stay at home as much as possible."

While most people adhered to social distancing rules over the weekend, there were a number of issues with groups gathering too close together. Both the Security Council and forestry organization Staatsbosbeheer said Saturday that the problems mainly involved young people. "We see that adults generally adhere to a distance of one and a half meters," a Staatsbosbeheer spokesperson said to NOS. "Young people apparently find that more difficult."

Bruls agreed that teenagers seem to find social distancing more of a challenge. "Sometimes that is accidental, but some of them do it deliberately too. They are often fined."

According to Bruls, dozens, or perhaps hundreds of fines were issued on Sunday for people gathering in groups of three or more, or for people not keeping 1.5 meters apart, among other things.