The Netherlands has announced a strict lockdown over Christmas amid concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Non-essential shops, bars, gyms hairdressers and other public venues will be closed until at least mid-January. Two guests per household will be allowed – four over the holidays.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the restrictions were “unavoidable”.
Countries across Europe have been tightening restrictions as the heavily mutated variant spreads.
The new rules in the Netherlands – the strictest to have been announced over Omicron so far – come into force on Sunday.
“I stand here tonight in a sombre mood. And a lot of people watching will feel that way too,” Mr Rutte told a news conference on Saturday. “To sum it up in one sentence, the Netherlands will go back into lockdown from tomorrow.”
Under the new rules, people are being urged to stay at home as much as possible. Strict limits will be placed on the number of people who can meet – a maximum of two guests over the age of 13 will be allowed in people’s homes, and four on 24-26 December and on New Year’s Eve.
All schools will be closed until at least 9 January, while other lockdown measures will remain in place until at least 14 January.
The BBC’s Anna Holligan in The Hague said the announcement was being met with disbelief and dismay.
For weeks, curfews have been placed on hospitality and cultural venues in the Netherlands an effort to limit the spread of Omicron.
The Dutch National Institute for Public Health has reported more than 2.9m coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, and over 20,000 deaths.
It says the Omicron variant currently still accounts for a minority of coronavirus cases in the Netherlands but is spreading rapidly.
Officials say it is expected to become the dominant variant by the New Year.
Mr Rutte said a failure to act now would likely lead to “an unmanageable situation in hospitals”.
At the news conference on Saturday, officials urged people to get vaccinated.
France, the Republic of Ireland and Germany have also announced measures designed to curb the infections.
The Omicron variant is “spreading at lightning speed” in Europe and will likely become dominant in France by the start of next year, French Prime Minister Jean Castex has warned.
France has imposed strict travel restrictions on those entering from the United Kingdom – the hardest hit country in the region, with nearly 25,000 confirmed Omicron cases on Saturday.
Europe has already seen more than 89 million cases and 1.5 million Covid-related deaths, according to the latest EU figures.
Source: MyPublisher24.com