The Netherlands moved into a tougher lockdown Sunday that was announced even before the country recorded its first confirmed cases of the new omicron virus variant. Bars, restaurants, nonessential stores, cinemas, and theaters are among the public places now forced to shut from 5pm until 5am, the AP reports. Wilko Klippens, who runs the Biessels cafe on the Grote Markt square in Nijmegen, said the lockdown will eat into his savings. "We're going to keep all the staff. You know, they're going to pay their rent, pay their education. So yeah, it's on us," he said. "So the money we saved for retirement is the money we pay the staff with and the rent."
The restrictions took effect hours after Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced that at least 13 travelers who arrived in Amsterdam on Friday tested positive for the new variant. He urged other travelers who arrived last week from southern Africa to get tested as well. The Netherlands has seen a string of record daily infections in recent weeks, and an earlier partial lockdown appears to have had little effect. Hospitals have warned that intensive care units could become overwhelmed by the end of the week. The government has mandated that all nonessential surgeries, such as hip replacements, be postponed to free up ICU beds for COVID-19 patients. De Jonge said he could not rule out imposing more restrictions next month.
Wilma van Kampen said she would adhere to the lockdown. "I'm a nurse. I know how sick people get. I see a lot of people suffering from COVID," she said. Earlier Sunday, a heavy police presence massed in the eastern city of Nijmegen ahead of a banned protest against coronavirus measures. Police said they arrested or turned away multiple people during checks on roads leading into the city. Monique van Aken said in Nijmegen that she doesn't expect this lockdown to be the last. "I think it’s going to be happening all the time. It's going to mutate, and we have to be prepared for that," she said. "After this variant, new variants will come."
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