Press conference: most coronavirus restrictions relaxed until 10pm

From 5am tomorrow morning, a number of corona measures will be relaxed again. Restaurants, bars, theaters, cinemas and museums are allowed to open again until 10pm and the quarantine rules for the schools are being relaxed. Prime Minister Rutte and Minister Kuipers announced this at the second press conference of the Rutte IV cabinet. The measures apply in any case until March 8.

As expected since yesterday, the Dutch government will relax a large number of coronavirus restrictions in the Netherlands starting on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Mark Rutte, even though daily infections have shot up to about 60,000 per day, and new hospitalizations for Covid-19 showed a weekly increase for the first time in two months. Some restrictions were relaxed 10 days ago, and the new decision can push daily infections up to between 75,000 and 100,000 per day, confirmed Health Minister Ernst Kuipers during the 70-minute press conference this Tuesday evening, 25 January, 2022.

Below is an overview of the changes:

Hospitality and culture

The catering and cultural sector can open again, subject to conditions, from 5 a.m. to 10 pm In addition to shops, education, sports clubs, the practice of art and culture and contact professions such as hairdressers, the catering industry, cinemas, theatres, museums, concert halls, zoos and amusement parks will also open their doors from tomorrow.

3G will apply again for access to a restaurant or theater: you must be able to show a vaccination or recovery certificate, or a negative test. Anyone who walks around must wear a mask. For cinemas, theaters and catering, if you sit, the mask can be removed.

At transfer locations, such as a museum, a maximum of 1 visitor per 5 square meters applies to a maximum of 1250 people per room. At locations with a fixed seat, a maximum number of visitors of approximately one third of the capacity applies.

 

Sports and events

The public is welcome again at sports competitions, both for indoor and outdoor sports. There is, however, a maximum number of visitors: inside this is a maximum of 1250 visitors. For outdoor competitions, this is one third of the capacity.

Events are also possible again under conditions. The same maximums apply: indoor with a maximum of 1250 visitors, outdoor with a third of the capacity.

Events without a fixed seat, such as festivals, are not allowed for the time being.

 

Education and quarantine

The rules are relaxed for students. Children and young people up to the age of 18 no longer need to be quarantined after contact with an infected person if they have no complaints themselves. They should only stay at home if they have complaints and let themselves be tested immediately.

Until now, an entire school class had to be quarantined if three children were infected. That rule expires tomorrow. Only children who have complaints or who have been tested positive stay at home.

The local GGD can always provide additional advice to a school, for example in case of a major outbreak of the virus.

The quarantine rules for adults apply to educational staff. They do not need to be quarantined if they have tested positive in the past 8 weeks and have no complaints, or have had a booster vaccination more than 1 week ago and have no complaints.

Other rules remain in force: students from group 6 must take a self-test twice a week and wear mouth caps in the hallways of the school.

 

What doesn’t change?

The basic rules continue to apply. This includes the mandatory one and a half meters distance between persons. It is still urgently advised  to wear face masks wherever it is not possible to keep 1.5 meters distance. Face masks remain mandatory in public indoor spaces such as shops and public transport.

The advice for the number of guests to be received at home remains at 4. In addition, the advice continues to apply to visit somewhere or someone no more than once a day. The advice to work from home as much as possible also continues to apply.

The quarantine rules for adults remain the same. After a positive test you must be in isolation. Anyone who has been in contact with an infected person but who received a booster shot at least a week ago or who had corona less than eight weeks ago does not need to be quarantined (unless people develop complaints). Even if it appears from consultation with the employer that someone without complaints is indispensable and meets the conditions of employees in essential business processes, they do not have to be quarantined.

 

[Source: NOS]