Netherlands extends nighttime curfew to curb coronavirus

The Dutch government has extended the nighttime curfew that has been in force since Jan. 23 until March 3 in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, reported Xinhua.

"This is necessary because new, more contagious variants of coronavirus are gaining ground in the Netherlands, which could lead to a new wave of infections," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated at a press conference here.

Although the COVID-19 infection figures show a decline in the Netherlands, the number of cases of the coronavirus variant that was first identified in the UK is on the rise in the country. The restrictive measures announced on Feb. 2 remain in force, such as the closure of non-essential shops, bars and restaurants.

The country's primary schools reopened on Monday after almost eight weeks, although several of them had to close their doors again for an extra day on Monday due to the wintry weather conditions in the country.

On Feb. 23, the government is scheduled to decide whether to modify the current lockdown measures, including the curfew. The curfew is expected to be lifted before March 3 if the coronavirus situation allows this, the government said.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.