Netherlands Closes Elementary Schools Over Omicron Fears
The Netherlands will close elementary schools next week and extend the nightly lockdown as fears mount over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday.
Schools will be closed from December 20 instead of December 25th on Christmas Day due to fears that children who have higher Covid-19 rates could infect older parents.
“Of course, this is not the happy news we were hoping for as Christmas approaches. But that’s no surprise,” said Rutte at a press conference.
“We cannot ignore the warning signals from the Omicron variant.”
The government will also extend the restrictions until January 14th, which means shops, bars and restaurants must close between 5:00 p.m. and 5 a.m. every day, and people can only have four guests at home, he explained.
The measures came into effect on November 28, initially for three weeks.
Coronavirus cases are highest among elementary school children per 100,000, the Dutch health authority RIVM said on Tuesday.
The government said it made the decision to close schools prematurely on the advice of its pandemic experts “as there are now major concerns about the emergence of the variant of Omicron, which is rapidly spreading.”
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“As the Christmas holidays start right at Christmas this year, children could unknowingly infect their older parents and put too much pressure on caregivers,” the government said in a statement.
The Dutch government’s restrictions on coronavirus have become increasingly unpopular, and riots broke out over several nights in November in cities like Rotterdam and The Hague.
Five people were injured when police opened fire during the riot in Rotterdam.
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