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The Dutch government announced Wednesday that it will ban flights from the U.K., South Africa and South America as of Saturday in an effort to prevent more virulent strains of the coronavirus from taking hold across the country.
The new restrictions also mean everyone flying to the Netherlands will need to take a rapid antigen test, on top of the already existing requirement for a PCR-test conducted within 72 hours of departure.
“We’re getting out of this, but first we have to brace ourselves again now that more contagious variants are coming our way,” caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
Rutte also announced plans to impose a curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. However, the government needs the support of a majority of MPs to implement the curfew given that the Cabinet is in caretaker mode after resigning last week. Opposition parties have been critical of a curfew, but local media reported that the GreenLeft and Labor parties are now leaning toward supporting the government line.
Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge will discuss the new measures in parliament on Thursday.
Other measures the government announced include only allowing one visitor per home, instead of two. The maximum number of attendees at funerals will decrease from 100 to 25.
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