Agenda

THE NETHERLANDS: TIGHTENED MEASURES TO CONTROL THE CORONAVIRUS

24/03/2020

On Monday 23 March, the government took additional measures to tackle the corona virus. Prime Minister Rutte and ministers De Jonge, Grapperhaus and Van Rijn explained the measures (based on advice from RIVM) on Monday 23 March 2020 during a press meeting.

The refined and new measures are:

  1. Stay at home as much as possible. Go outside for work only when you cannot work at home, for groceries, or to take care of others. You can get a breath of fresh air, but don't do this in a group. Always keep a distance from others (at least 1.5 meters) and avoid social activities and groups of people. Also at home: a maximum of three people visit and keep a distance from each other.
  2. If you have a cough and / or a cold, the following already applies: stay at home.
  3. If you also get a fever, everyone in the household must stay at home from now on. People in crucial professions and vital processes are excluded from this, unless they become ill themselves.
  4. All meetings are prohibited until June 1 (instead of April 6), even with fewer than 100 people. There is an exception for funerals and church weddings, about which more information will be provided later.
  5. Shops and public transport are required to take measures to ensure that people keep their distance, for example through a door policy.
  6. Until April 6, hairdressers, beauticians and others in so-called contact professions in the field of external care are no longer allowed to practice their profession. For physiotherapists, for example, work as much as possible via video calling.
  7. Casinos are now subject to the same measure as food and beverage outlets and will close on March 24, 2020.
  8. At locations such as holiday parks, measures must be taken to allow people to keep 1.5 meters away. If one is not able to do this, municipalities may close these locations.
  9. Mayors can designate areas where group formation is prohibited. These can be parks, beaches or neighborhoods. In groups of 3 or more that do not keep a meter and a half away, maintenance is maintained. Persons in the same household, such as families, and children are excluded.
  10. Markets are excluded from this because they are an essential part of the food chain in some places in the country. Municipalities and market masters must however look at how they can ensure that sufficient distance is guaranteed.
  11. The government also wants to be able to better enforce the existing measures. That is why mayors are given the opportunity to act more quickly and easily through an emergency ordinance. Mayors can close specific locations, such as parks, beaches, and campgrounds. Fines can also be imposed to individuals and companies.
  12. Measures previously announced will remain in effect.