At the press conference on Tuesday, January 25, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Ernst Kuipers lifted the last remaining national lockdown restrictions, announcing the reopening of both the hospitality and cultural industries. Other COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place until (at least) March 8.
At the last press conference, Rutte and Kuipers confirmed that non-essential shops and contact professions would no longer be under lockdown. Now, the Dutch government has decided that the final restrictions announced as part of the hard lockdown in December will be dismissed.
On Wednesday, January 26, the following relaxations to the Netherlands’ restrictions come into effect:
While many restrictions are being lifted, various rules will be in effect in order for society to reopen safely and responsibly:
As was discussed earlier this month, the Dutch government has decided to introduce a nine-month limit on the validity of coronavirus certificates. As of February 1, the following rules will apply:
With vaccines now only recognised as valid for nine months, members of the public will soon be required to have received their booster shot, or also be recently recovered or negatively tested for COVID-19 in order to have a valid QR code in the CoronaCheck app.
Following the latest advice from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), the government has also opted to amend the current quarantine rules. The following people will no longer be required to self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 if they aren't showing symptoms and:
The government hopes that these changes will allow schools to continue in-person teaching with fewer disruptions and result in fewer staff shortages.
While many restrictions are being lifted or relaxed, a number of basic measures will remain in place until (at least) March 8. These include the directions to:
The government will reevaluate the COVID-19 situation, with the next press conference scheduled to take place in three weeks.