Dutch government announces national lockdown amid Omicron surge

The Netherlands will go into a tough lockdown from Sunday morning until at least January 14 to limit a feared Covid-19 surge due to the Omicron coronavirus variant, prime minister Mark Rutte has announced.

“The Netherlands is again shutting down. That is unavoidable because of the fifth wave that is coming at us with the Omicron variant,” he told a news conference.

Rutte said the new order builds on an existing partial lockdown already in force that requires bars, restaurants and other public gathering places such as cinemas and theatres to close at 5 pm.

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