Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
With almost 40% of intensive care beds in Dutch hospitals now full, the PM Mark Rutte is likely to announce Western Europe’s first partial Covid lockdown for next three weeks, restricting shopping, sport and catering.
His caretaker government is responding to record infections and rising intensive care cases in hospitals. Much of Europe is facing a surge in cases, blamed partly on low vaccine take-up in several countries. Austria is expected to back a lockdown for unvaccinated people this weekend.
Restrictions would be imposed first in the two provinces of Upper Austria and Salzburg from Monday next, the Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein informed.
Denmark, which had downgraded coronavirus as no longer a socially critical disease, has re-instated a Covid pass that was phased out in September. The government wants to push through a law allowing workplaces to require the pass for staff.
According to reports in media, the caretaker government agreed that the three-week partial lockdown would start on Saturday evening. Hence non-essential shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels would have to close at 7 in the evening. Professional sport can continue behind closed doors including Netherlands’ football World Cup qualifier against Norway on 16 November.
A final decision on restrictions for cinemas and theatres still has to be taken, reports say, along with plans for the existing Covid pass to be issued only to those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from Covid. The catering industry has reacted angrily.
The measures to be imposed shall be confirmed by the prime minister and health minister on Friday evening.
In Austria, vaccine take-up is at 65% and Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says he will talk to provincial governors on Sunday before the go ahead for a national lockdown for the unvaccinated.
“The situation in Austria is worrying and infection numbers are rising rapidly, especially in Upper Austria and Salzburg,” the health minister warned.
