Don't scrap curfew only to re-implement in a few weeks, Mayors say

The government must carefully consider what to do about the curfew and then make a very clear decision on that, the mayors on the Security Council said to outgoing Ministers Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security and Hugo de Jonge of Public Health. "You cannot stop it and take it back a few weeks later," said Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen and chairman of the Security Council, NOS reports.

The curfew was implemented on January 23 and is set to expire on February 10. Sources in The Hague previously told NOS that the cabinet sees no reason to extend it at this time. De Jonge and Prime Minister Mark Rutte will hold a press conference on Tuesday to make clear what the coronavirus lockdown will look like in the coming weeks.

The implementation of the curfew sparked violent riots in dozens of Dutch cities for three nights in a row.

Many mayors were initially skeptical about the introduction of the curfew, but after a week and a half, Bruls is relatively satisfied with the measure. "The measure worked in most places. It was usually enforceable," he said on Monday after the weekly meeting of the Security Council, which consists of the mayors that head the 25 security regions in the Netherlands. 

The Security Council does have some doubts about reported plans to allow non-essential stores to reopen for pickups next week, but remain closed for on-site shopping until early March. "In terms of feasibility, that rule will cause quite some uncertainty," Bruls said. "It is very difficult to check up on things when there is confusion."