At the press conference on March 23, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced that the national lockdown and curfew would remain in place until (at least) April 20, but that the Dutch government had decided to push the curfew back by an hour, from 9pm to 10pm.
The national curfew - which came into effect on January 23 - has faced a number of obstacles over the past few months. While many members of the public and the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) had hoped to see Rutte lift the curfew this week, he instead announced that it would remain in place until April 20.
However, Rutte did confirm the rumours that the curfew would be pushed back by an hour, and so, from March 31, would be in effect from 10pm until 4.30am. This decision has been taken as the government feels it would be difficult for people to adhere to the curfew as the days are getting longer, and Rutte hopes the change will make it easier for police to enforce the curfew.
Rutte once again extended the government’s negative travel advice, asking the public not to plan any international travel before (at-least) May 15. This means families are asked not to travel abroad during the May school holidays.
The government had initially planned to announce a handful of relaxations to the coronavirus restrictions, however, the recent rise in infections means Rutte and his cabinet have decided against easing any restrictions. Instead, the following coronavirus measures will remain in place until April 20:
The government will review the restrictions and the coronavirus situation in the Netherlands over the coming weeks, with the next press conference scheduled for April 13.