Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Friday a three-week partial lockdown as a result of surging COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands.
Why it matters: The lockdown comes as Western Europe experiences a new wave of COVID-19 infections across the continent.
The big picture: The lockdown, which begins Saturday night, requires bars, restaurants and supermarkets to close at 8pm Central European Time.
- Professional sports games are required to be played in empty stadiums and residents are encouraged to work from home.
- Businesses that provide nonessential goods and services must close by 6pm
- Almost 85% of adults in the Netherlands are fully vaccinated, and the country ended its lockdown at the end of September, AP notes.
- “Tonight we are bringing a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching measures," Rutte said Friday, per Reuters. "The virus is everywhere and needs to be combated everywhere."
Of note: Austria announced Thursday that it would place millions of unvaccinated people in lockdown.