At the press conference on Tuesday, May 11, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge tentatively announced a handful of relaxations for the national coronavirus restrictions. If the number of hospitalisations continues to decline over the coming week, gyms, zoos, theme parks, and a number of other outdoor spaces will be permitted to reopen on May 19.
A handful of coronavirus restrictions are set to lift on May 19:
The Dutch government feels that the coronavirus outlook is relatively stable and optimistic, but acknowledges that this might change over the coming days, and that the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals remains high.
Therefore, a final decision on whether or not the above relaxations will go ahead will only be made on Monday, May 17. If hospital admissions fall by 20 percent the relaxations will go ahead, but if hospitalisations suddenly rise (again), the relaxations will be postponed. Rutte did say that he did not expect this would be necessary.
With the summer holidays fast approaching, many have been wondering whether they can book a trip abroad to visit friends or family. At the press conference, De Jonge announced that from May 15, the government will provide travel advice for each individual country (coding each country either yellow or orange depending on the number of coronavirus infections).
If a country is yellow, De Jonge said members of the public could travel there, but asked that people stick to the coronavirus rules even when abroad. If a country is orange, the government asks the public to only travel there if it is absolutely necessary (i.e. not for a holiday).
De Jonge also reminded the public that the codes could change over time - a country currently coded yellow could quickly change to orange.
While there is some hope for next week, several coronavirus measures will remain in place until June:
The next press conference is scheduled to take place on June 1.