DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
Dutch news & articles
Cabinet hopeful about lifting coronavirus restrictions on April 28
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Cabinet hopeful about lifting coronavirus restrictions on April 28

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

Coronavirus-proof Christmas events in the Netherlands this winterCoronavirus-proof Christmas events in the Netherlands this winter
Travelling during the coronavirus crisis: What are your rights?Travelling during the coronavirus crisis: What are your rights?
What to look out for when travelling during coronavirusWhat to look out for when travelling during coronavirus
July 2021: 13 things changing in the Netherlands from todayJuly 2021: 13 things changing in the Netherlands from today
Financial support for you and your business during coronavirusFinancial support for you and your business during coronavirus
RIVM warns against fake coronavirus vaccination invitationsRIVM warns against fake coronavirus vaccination invitations
Data leak allows anyone to download fake CoronaCheck certificateData leak allows anyone to download fake CoronaCheck certificate
Three-quarters of expats say coronavirus impacted their mental healthThree-quarters of expats say coronavirus impacted their mental health
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairsWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Apr 19, 2021
Victoria Séveno
Victoria grew up in Amsterdam, before moving to the UK to study English and Related Literature at the University of York and completing her NCTJ course at the Press Association in London. She has a love for all things movies, animals, and food. Read more

According to the government’s five-step plan for lifting the national coronavirus lockdown, several restrictions should be eased from April 28. While last week Prime Minister Mark Rutte had said he wasn’t feeling optimistic about April 28, members of his cabinet have said there are “positive signs” that restrictions could be lifted next week. 

Dutch PM cautious about plan to lift coronavirus restrictions

The plan outlined by the Dutch government at last week’s press conference states that April 28 should hopefully see shops and terraces open, as well as the lifting of the curfew and easing of the household guests rule. While this gave many across the Netherlands hope that the end of lockdown might finally be in sight, at a parliamentary debate on Friday, Rutte said the dates outlined in the plan were not concrete, and that it was possible that restrictions may not be lifted before mid-May. 

He met with cabinet ministers and members of the Outbreak Management Team at his official residence in The Hague on Sunday to discuss coronavirus in the Netherlands and the possibilities for lifting restrictions. Rutte may be hesitant, but his cabinet ministers seem optimistic. 

Cabinet ministers feel positive about April 28

According to insiders, those in attendance at the meeting felt that, over the past few days, figures showed that the coronavirus situation was progressing more favourably than had been expected. While a final decision about the lockdown is yet to be made - that won’t happen until April 20 - ministers are feeling positive about the chance that shops and terraces will be able to reopen, and it looks certain that Dutch higher education will partially reopen on April 26. 

Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen and chairman of the Security Council, has also asked the government to stop postponing the reopening: “We will plead during the Security Council on Monday evening to take steps on that first date, 28 April,” he said on Sunday morning. He would especially like to see terraces reopen, highlighting the lockdown's negative economic and social impact. 

This new-found optimism can most likely be attributed to recent development about coronavirus hospital admissions: director of the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Jaap van Dissel, has said that it seems as though there is a “levelling off” in admissions, which may indicate that the peak of the third wave has passed. It is expected that Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge will once again address the public in a coronavirus press conference on Tuesday.

By Victoria Séveno