Campus

Dutch government set to introduce night curfew

The Dutch government wants to introduce a night curfew that applies until 9 February. The House of Representatives has to agree before the curfew can be introduced.

(Photo: Marjolein van der Veldt)

If the curfew is implemented, it is not allowed to be on the streets between 20:30 and 04:30. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Hugo de Jonge, Minister of Public Health, announced this new measure at a press conference this afternoon. With the curfew, the Cabinet hopes to limit the further spread of the coronavirus. The measure is valid until 9 February. Those who do not abide by it can be fined EUR 95.

The House of Representatives is still debating and will have its final verdict on the curfew. If they agree, the measure will take effect a few days after the debate.

Bad idea
In an Instagram poll conducted by Delta, the majority of the participants think that the curfew is a bad idea: 229 students were in favour, while 527 would rather not see such a measure in place.

On Tuesday, student union LSVb spoke out against the introduction of a curfew. Chairman Lyle Muns: Young people are in dire need of help. More and more students are knocking on our door with complaints ranging from apathy to gloom. A curfew would take away their last bit of freedom.

ISO (Dutch National Student Association, or ‘Interstedelijk Studentenoverleg’), however, did not draw any firm conclusions yet. Chairman Dahran Çoban: If people knowledgeable about the matter decide that a curfew is necessary to control the virus, who are we to know better? I am not going to sit in the chair of the Outbreak Management Team.

Exceptions
There are a number of exceptions to the curfew. People are allowed to be outside between 20:30 and 04:30 if they carry a special statement. This can be a statement from an employer, but also a personal statement. People are also allowed to walk their dogs on their own during the curfew.

At first it seemed that students would also get an exemption for examinations already planned by educational institutions, but this was later withdrawn.

Universities, universities of applied sciences and student organisations are now urging the Lower House to grant this exemption after all. “Not allowing these tests to take place has far-reaching consequences for the study progress of very many students.”

Additional measures
Besides the curfew, a few other measures were introduced. From next Monday, households may receive up to one visitor per day, and as of 23 January, the Dutch government will impose a temporary flight ban for countries outside the Schengen area in which potentially dangerous variants of the virus are most prevalent. These countries include the United Kingdom, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and South Africa.

Editor Redactie

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