Dutch Are Back to Partial Lockdown After Record Infections

(Bloomberg) -- The Netherlands is entering another lockdown after coronavirus infections hit records in recent days, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. 

“We have a very difficult message tonight combined with drastic measures,” Rutte said at a press conference in The Hague on Friday. The country will enter a partial lockdown with bars and restaurants that need to shut down effective from Saturday 8 p.m. local time, Rutte added. Non-essential shops must close at 6 p.m. 

He strongly urged people to work from home as much as possible while there also will be a limit to invite a maximum amount of 4 people to socialize at home. The package will be reviewed Dec. 3, Rutte said. 

Infections have been mounting in the Netherlands, where over two-thirds of the population has been fully vaccinated. On Friday, some 16,287 infections were recorded after a record of 16,364 on Thursday, health agency RIVM reported. The previous record was 12,997 on Dec. 20 last year. 

Throughout the pandemic, a limited capacity of intensive-care beds have been a bottleneck for the country. For every 100,000 inhabitants, it only has 7 ICU beds, while Germany has 48, France 19 and Italy 11, according to the University of Oxford that compiled OECD, World Bank and government records. Previously, German hospitals have taken up Dutch patients to help ease the pressure on local hospitals. 

The majority of corona victims that end up in the hospital have not been vaccinated. The combination of the high infections at present, the limited amount of ICU beds in the country and postponed medical treatments for other kinds of patients, forced the government to act. 

“Luckily the vast majority is fully vaccinated, otherwise the distress in hospitals would be immense,” Rutte said.

The government is also exploring the possibility to implement the 2G approach that has already been adopted in other countries, meaning that a proof of vaccination or a corona recovery are necessary to enter places like bars, restaurants and theaters. 

(Updates with comments from Rutte throughout.)

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