NL residents losing confidence in Covid policy

Support for the outgoing government's policy against the coronavirus is waning among Netherlands residents, according to a poll of over 2,500 Dutch by Hart van Nederland shortly after Prime Minister Mark Rutte presented the lockdown exit strategy in a press conference on Tuesday. 

Rutte said that a third wave of infections is inevitable, especially with the more contagious B117 variant now causing most of the infections in the country. And so the lockdown will be in place for at least another month.

On January 12, a small majority of 52 percent of Netherlands residents said they had confidence in the government's coronavirus policy. On Tuesday that dropped to 46 percent.

Young people under 30 in particular have little confidence, with only 36 percent supporting Rutte and his cabinet's plans. On January 12, it was still 42 percent. People over the age of 50 have the most faith in the outgoing Rutte III cabinet, with 54 percent supporting the coronavirus policy, down from 61 percent on January 12.

Despite the declining confidence, 70 percent said they understand why the lockdown was extended. And 55 percent think that the curfew should also be extended until March.