Netherlands to close schools, restaurants in coronavirus fight

15/03/2020

The Dutch government has announced that schools and childcare centers throughout the country will be closed from Monday.

Schools will only be open for children of parents who have vital jobs, such as those working in health care or for the emergency services.

Bars, restaurants and sport clubs will also be closed down.

Pressure had been mounting on the Dutch government to take tougher measures, after Prime Minister Mark Rutte had said that schools would remain open in order to not burden parents. Rutte will give a speech Monday evening to “address the difficult situation.”

National addresses by the prime minister are very unusual in the Netherlands — the last such address was in 1973 by former PM Joop den Uyl during the oil crisis.

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