End of curfew and reopening of café terraces on April 28

An air of deconfinement and coffee break on the terrace. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Tuesday the relaxation of measures against Covid-19 in the Netherlands.

In particular, he announced a lifting of the curfew and a partial reopening of café terraces from April 28. The January introduction of the curfew, the first in the Netherlands since World War II, sparked the worst riots in the country in decades.

” More freedom “

“We are of course happy that this is possible again as society aspires to more freedom”, said Mark Rutte during a press conference, adding that it was a “very careful step” . The terraces will be able to reopen between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. and accommodate a maximum of 50 people at the same time, he said. The Dutch will also be allowed to have two guests at home per day, instead of just one currently.

Since the onset of the health crisis last year, the Netherlands, which has a population of just over 17 million, has recorded more than 1.3 million cases of Covid-19 and the deaths of more than 16,000 people linked to this disease.