Dutch PM Rutte criticized after lifting measures against coronavirus

Members of Parliament in the Netherlands condemned Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge for lifting the measures against the coronavirus too quickly at an extraordinary parliamentary session in The Hague on Wednesday.

The number of infections has exploded since restrictions were lifted on June 26. In principle, only the 1.5-metre safety distance and the compulsory use of masks on public transport still apply.

Two weeks later, some relaxations were reversed for which Rutte apologized and spoke of an "error of judgement."

Especially the metropolitan regions are affected by the new wave of infections as the seven-day incidence is now over 300 per 100,000 residents.

In the last seven days, around 51,000 infections were recorded, 500 per cent more than in the week before.

According to the health authorities, mainly teenagers and young adults are responsible for the large increase in infections.

But there's the fear that older people who haven't been vaccinated yet or have received only the first jab could be infected, and therefore fill the hospitals.

The relaxation of the measures also made it possible for festivals to take place with thousands of people, while discos and nightclubs reopened.

Just at the open air music festival Verknipt in Utrecht alone, 1,000 were infected with the coronavirus, and local health authorities said the number could still rise.

Organizers reacted with shock after reports of the outbreak emerged late Tuesday and stressed they had followed all the hygiene measures.

People attending the festival had to present proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test.

This was not an isolated case. At a festival in Breda, several visitors were infected, while at a disco in Enschede, near the German border, at least 200 out of 600 visitors had positive tests.

"We are in a new situation with a large spread among young people and some super-spreading events," Aura Timen, professor at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), said.

On the positive side, more than 40 per cent of the population has already been fully vaccinated, and almost 70 per cent has received at least one shot.