Full list of all coronavirus lockdown restrictions as of Dec. 14
The NL Times also published a summary of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s address to the nation in which he announced that the country would enter into a lockdown of a minimum five-week duration to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and a full translation of the Prime Minister’s speech on Monday.
From the stroke of midnight as Tuesday begins in the Netherlands, the country will enter a strict lockdown to beat down the number of new coronavirus infections. Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed the country in a 19-minute long speech from his office to introduce the lockdown measures.
Calling the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic "the greatest we have experienced in peacetime," Rutte pointed out that 30 thousand people have required hospitalization for Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, and six thousand people have been treated in intensive care. "We are experiencing something unprecedented with 17 million people," he said.
Below follows a list of all new restrictions those in the Netherlands face through January 19.
Retail, gyms and services
- All non-essential stores will be ordered to close starting at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
- Essential stores include supermarkets, auto mechanics, bakeries, banks, bodegas, business-to-business wholesalers, butchers, consumer goods repair shops, drug stores, dry cleaners, eye and ear care centers, fish shops, flower stands, laundromats, liquor stores, pet shops, petrol stations and their shops, pharmacies, postal service points, and shops at filling stations.
- Amusement parks, casinos, cinemas, museums, theaters, sex shows and zoos will be closed.
- Close-contact professional services, like beauticians, hairdressers, sex workers and some massage providers will be closed.
- Healthcare providers, including dentists, eye care providers, midwives, optometrists, and physiotherapists will be allowed to remain open.
- Gyms, swimming pools, and saunas will be closed.
- DIY shops will be allowed to distribute goods to customers who order online for pick-up.
- Libraries will be allowed to stay open for the collection or return of books and media.
- Local community centers will remain open for vulnerable people.
Education and Childcare
- Primary schools and secondary schools will be closed to in-person education from Wednesday. Online education will be offered in its place.
- Exceptions to school closings include the children whose parents work in a vital profession, and students in their pre-exam or exam year.
- Daycare facilities will be closed from Wednesday. Childcare will be available for children whose parents work in a vital profession and children in a more vulnerable position.
- Higher education facilities will be closed, with classes moving online.
- Vocational education and trade schools will largely remain open.
At Home
- Households will be allowed to welcome a maximum of two guests aged 13 and over.
- Households will be allowed to receive one extra guest from December 24-26.
- Children aged 12 and below are exempted from the household guest limit.
- Religious facilities and houses of worship will remain open.
Hotels, hospitality and coffeeshops
- Hotels will remain open. Food and beverage service, including room service, will no longer be allowed.
- Bars, cafes and restaurants will remain closed, as they have since mid-October.
- Bars, cafes and restaurants will be allowed to continue serving takeaway clientele.
- Coffeeshops will also be allowed to sell their products to takeaway clientele.
Sport and fitness
- Gyms, swimming pools, and saunas will be closed as will all other indoor sports facilities.
- Outdoor sports is allowed in groups of no more than two people at a distance of 1.5 meters apart.
- Team trainings and intra-squad competitions are no longer allowed.
- Outdoor sports venues may remain open for people under the age of 18.
- Elite professional sports competitions including the Eredivisie football matches, will be allowed to continue.