Rutte to hold new coronavirus press conference; €777m for local gov’t

Six months after the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus was discovered in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Hugo de Jonge, the Minister of Health will hold a new press conference to provide a more comprehensive update on the situation in the country. The media event will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and will be shown live on  public and commercial broadcasters, and on the government’s social media channels.

Rutte and De Jonge were expected to discuss an extension of rules in place for the nightclub industry, which has largely ground to a halt due to the pandemic. When asked about clubs during his regular weekly press conference on Friday, Rutte said, “There is more advice coming about that, but I am not hopeful.”

The two were also expected to discuss how the Netherlands is faring against Covid-19, in comparison to other countries in the region, broadcaster NOS said. The news outlet also noted the likelihood that singing, chanting and shouting in football stadiums would also be a topic of conversation.

On Monday, The national government said it will provide cities, provinces and water boards an additional 777 million euros in financial support to help bridge the gap caused by the coronavirus crisis. “With this support, local and regional authorities can maintain the service to their residents. This brings the total aid granted to more than € 1.5 billion for 2020,” the Cabinet said in a statement.

A large bulk of the money will compensate for the tourist taxes and parking fees that were not collected this year, with more commitments to social employment schemes. About 68 million euros will be used to support libraries, music schools, museums, movie theaters and other cultural facilities.

Another 50 million will also go to additional supervision and security on the streets, and 30 million will be provided for ensuring that next year’s elections will be held without problem.