Around a third of Dutch won't stick to maximum number of household guests

Roughly one in three Dutch people invited more than four guests to their home for Christmas, a survey by Hart van Nederland showed. "We have been celebrating Christmas together with the whole family for decades. Nobody is going to tell me how to celebrate Christmas," one respondent said.

Around 44 percent said they would stick to the maximum number of four guests. "I work in a hospital, so I can't invite more people than advised," another person said.

Roughly 13 percent of respondents said they would not invite any guests at all.

Police said on Friday it would be difficult for them to enforce the maximum number of guests. "In practice, we will especially intervene at parties, and locations where large groups are gathered. If the police see things happening where the risk of infection is high, colleagues will act. Not with the aim of fines, but to put an end to that kind of activity," police chief Willem Woelders said.

The GGD expects the number of coronavirus infections to rise as people gather with their friends and family for Christmas. "I am a realist, so I expect people to celebrate together. It is after all Christmas," GGD doctor Ashis Brahma told AT5. "I expect the number of infections to rise, but not as much as last year."

"The virus is changing, as we have seen with Omicron. That has to do with the fact that not the whole world is vaccinated yet. Even though we have booster shots here, that is not the case in other countries. Therefore, we have to get used to living with the virus and think about how to deal with it in the long run," Brahma said.

Around one in five respondents said they expect discussions with their family members about the coronavirus policy. Yet, the majority said the focus would be on being together this year. "We play many games during Christmas so, that is the only thing we will be arguing about," one respondent said.