Netherlands on lockdown; European countries tighten travel restrictions as omicron spreads

LONDON — The Dutch authorities says it is imposing a pugnacious nationwide lockdown successful an effort to rein successful sharply rising levels of infections with the omicron coronavirus mutation.

Schools, universities, and each non-essential stores, bars and restaurants volition beryllium closed until Jan. 14 starting Sunday, caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

“The Netherlands is going into lockdown again from tomorrow,” Rutte said Saturday. He said the determination was “unavoidable due to the fact that of the 5th question caused by the omicron variant that is bearing down connected us.”

Rutte says the government’s caller bid builds connected an existing partial lockdown already successful unit that requires bars, restaurants and different nationalist gathering places specified arsenic cinemas and theaters to adjacent astatine 5 p.m.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

LONDON — Nations crossed Europe are moving to reimpose tougher measures to stem a caller question of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant, triggering calls for protests from Paris to Barcelona.

As lawsuit numbers escalated, alarmed ministers successful France, Cyprus and Austria tightened question restrictions. Paris canceled its New Year’s Eve fireworks. Denmark closed theaters, performance halls, amusement parks and museums. Ireland imposed an 8 p.m. curfew connected pubs and bars and constricted attendance astatine indoor and outdoor events.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan underscored the authoritative interest astir the climbing cases and their imaginable to overwhelm the wellness attraction strategy by declaring a large incidental Saturday, a determination that allows section councils successful Britain’s superior to coordinate enactment much intimately with exigency services.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin captured the consciousness of the continent successful an code to the nation, saying the caller restrictions were needed to support lives and livelihoods from the resurgent virus.

“None of this is easy,” Martin said Friday night. “We are each exhausted with COVID and the restrictions it requires. The twists and turns, the disappointments and the frustrations instrumentality a dense toll connected everyone. But it is the world that we are dealing with.”

The World Health Organization reported Saturday that the omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected successful 89 countries, and COVID-19 cases involving the variant are doubling each 1.5 to 3 days successful places with assemblage transmission and not conscionable infections acquired abroad.

Major questions astir omicron stay unanswered, including however effectual existing COVID-19 vaccines are against it and whether the variant produces terrible unwellness successful galore infected individuals, WHO noted.

Yet omicron’s “substantial maturation advantage” implicit the delta variant means it is apt to soon overtake delta arsenic the ascendant signifier of the microorganism successful countries wherever the caller variant is spreading locally, the U.N. wellness bureau said.

Government ministers successful the Netherlands met Saturday to sermon proposal from a sheet of experts that recommended expanding an existing partial lockdown, which officials said had led to a caller diminution successful infections.

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge didn’t accidental what measures the authorities mightiness enforce arsenic helium headed into the meeting. “There are precise superior concerns,” helium told reporters successful The Hague. “That’s wherefore we’re gathering connected Saturday to spot what we request to do.”

Fearing it could beryllium their past accidental to store earlier Christmas, shoppers flocked into the buying areas of Dutch cities.

Rotterdam municipality tweeted that it was “too engaged successful the center” of the larboard metropolis and told people: “Don’t travel to the city.” Amsterdam besides warned that the city’s main buying thoroughfare was engaged and urged radical to instrumentality to coronavirus rules.

In the U.K., wherever confirmed regular cases soared to grounds numbers this week, the authorities has reimposed a request for masks to beryllium worn indoors and ordered radical to amusement impervious of vaccination oregon a caller antagonistic coronavirus trial erstwhile going to nightclubs and ample events.

But the moves are causing anger.

Critics of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s latest coronavirus restrictions flooded Oxford Street, a fashionable London buying area, connected Saturday. The maskless protesters blew whistles, yelled “Freedom!” and told passersby to region their look coverings.

Hundreds of radical blocked postulation arsenic they marched with signs bearing slogans specified arsenic “Vaccine passports termination our freedoms” and “Don’t comply.” Other signs had the faces of Johnson oregon U.K. Health Secretary Sajid Javid and read, “Give them the boot.”

Scientists are informing the British authorities it needs to spell further to forestall hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Leaked minutes from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies suggested a prohibition connected indoor mixing and hospitality, the BBC reported.

Britain and different nations are besides accelerating the gait of booster shots aft aboriginal information showed that 2 doses of vaccine were little effectual against the omicron variant. Shopping centers, cathedrals and shot stadiums successful Britain person been converted into wide vaccination centers.

During a sojourn to a wide vaccination pop-up session astatine London shot squad Chelsea’s stadium connected Saturday, Khan said the moving of nationalist services could beryllium impeded by the rapidly spreading variant.

“The large contented we person is the fig of Londoners who person this microorganism and that’s starring to large issues successful narration to unit absences and the quality of our nationalist services to tally astatine the optimum levels,” helium told the BBC. “I’m incredibly disquieted astir unit absences successful the (National Health Service), successful the occurrence brigade, successful the constabulary service, successful our councils crossed London.”

Omicron is present the ascendant coronavirus variant successful London and efforts were stepped up to scope radical who haven’t yet been vaccinated oregon boosted.

“I privation to marque a nonstop entreaty to the much than 1 cardinal Londoners who are yet to travel guardant for immoderate COVID-19 vaccinations — it’s ne'er excessively precocious to get your archetypal oregon 2nd dose,” the politician said. “It volition assistance to support you, your loved ones and our NHS.”

In France, the authorities announced that it volition commencement giving the vaccine to children successful the 5 to 11 property radical opening Wednesday. Prime Minister Jean Castex said Friday that with the omicron variant spreading similar “lightning,” the authorities projected requiring impervious of vaccination for those entering restaurants, cafes and different nationalist establishments. The pending measurement requires parliamentary approval.

Demonstrations were planned successful Paris to reason the vaccine walk connection and ongoing authorities restrictions.

Thousands of opponents of vaccine requirements and disguise mandates protested Saturday successful Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf and different German cities. In Austria, section media reported the crowds swelled to tens of thousands.