Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte extended his country’s tough, five-week lockdown by another three weeks on Tuesday.
Authorities are concerned that infection rates are not falling quickly enough and worried about the new, more transmissible variant first detected in the UK.
“Almost everybody will understand that there was no other choice,” Mr Rutte said.
He said the lockdown would last until February 9.
Under the restrictions, all schools and non-essential shops are closed, along with cinemas, museums and libraries. There also are strict limits on the size of gatherings indoors and outside.
Mr Rutte said that pupils preparing for final high school exams and vulnerable children, who are still allowed to attend schools, must stay at least 1.5 metres apart where possible.
He said the government asked health authorities for advice about whether a curfew would help to drive down infection rates.
The government has so far avoided imposing the measure during the pandemic.
“We are in a serious new situation,” Mr Rutte said of soaring infections in Britain.
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that the variant now made up between 2 and 5 per cent of Dutch infections.
“The expectation is that it will, just as in England, get the upper hand,” Mr de Jonge said.
Earlier, the Dutch public health institute announced that the number of new coronavirus infections in the country had fallen for the second week in a row.
It said the decrease was “the first effect” of the nationwide lockdown that began in mid-December.
Confirmed new Covid-19 infections over the past week fell 12 per cent to 49,398, the institute said.
Hospital admissions for people with the coronavirus fell 18 per cent and new Covid-19 patients in intensive care units declined by 12 per cent.
The overall Dutch death toll from Covid-19 is now more than 12,500.
On Wednesday, a mass testing programme will start in a municipality just outside Rotterdam, the country’s second-most populous city, after a cluster of Covid-19 infections linked to an elementary school included at least 30 cases of the new variant.
Last week, the Netherlands became the last EU country to begin vaccinations against Covid-19, with front-line hospital staff and carers for vulnerable members of society the first to receive shots.
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
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The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
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Price: Dh116,900
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
HOW TO WATCH
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
