Dutch govt orders 3-week partial lockdown amid virus surge
The Hague (AP) : Caretaker Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced a three-week partial lockdown Friday amid surging COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands, saying his government wants to deliver a hard blow to the virus.
The lockdown that begins Saturday night is the first to start in Western Europe since a new wave of infections began surging across parts of the continent.
Under the lockdown, bars, restaurants and supermarkets will have to close at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT), professional sports matches will be played in empty stadiums and people are being urged to work from home as much as possible. Stores selling non-essential items will have to close at 6 p.m.
Tonight we have a very unpleasant message with very unpleasant and far-reaching decisions, Rutte said.
As Rutte spoke, police in The Hague said they arrested a number of people protesting in a nearby street for setting off fireworks.
The Netherlands is not alone in taking measures to rein in soaring coronavirus infections.
Earlier Friday, Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said his country will implement a lockdown for unvaccinated people in two hard-hit regions next week and looks poised to move forward with similar measures nationwide.
Starting Monday, unvaccinated people in the regions of Upper Austria and Salzburg will only be allowed to leave home for specific necessary reasons, such as buying groceries or going to the doctor.
Meanwhile, Germany's disease control center is urging people to cancel or avoid large events and to reduce their contacts as the country's coronavirus infection rate hits a string of new highs.
Speaking about the deteriorating situation in Europe at a press conference earlier Friday, Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organization head of emergencies, said that quite frankly, some countries are in such a difficult situation now that they're going to find it hard not to put in place restrictive measures, at least for a short period of time, to reduce the intensity of transmission.
Rutte also said that social distancing is returning. Masks are already widely mandated, including in shops and public transport.
Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said that the government is also working on legislation to restrict access in some high-risk locations and events to people who can demonstrate they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 and not allow people who have tested negative. Austria and parts of Germany already have similar restrictions in place.
Separately, the government announced Friday that it would bring forward the start of a campaign to administer booster shots of COVID-19 shots to older citizens and healthcare workers. The campaign had been set to start in December, but will now begin at the end of next week.
News of the possible move before the announcement had prompted fury among bar owners and sports administrators earlier Friday.
The Dutch soccer federation and top two professional leagues issued a statement expressing great dismay at the expected lockdown and insisting that soccer stadiums which have strict COVID measures in place are not a major source of infections.
This looks like policy poverty, the organizations said, adding that government officials no longer know what to do.
Rutte confirmed that a World Cup soccer qualifier between the Netherlands and Norway on Tuesday in Rotterdam would be played behind closed doors.
An organization representing bar and restaurant owners also slammed the government.
Hospitality businesses are again being presented with the bill for failing government policy, the group said in a statement.
On Thursday the country's public health institute recorded 16,364 new positive tests in 24 hours the highest number of any time during the pandemic that has killed more than 18,600 people in the Netherlands.
The country, where nearly 85% of adults are fully vaccinated, largely ended lockdown restrictions at the end of September.
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Delhi airport incident: AI Express issues show cause notice to pilot
External inquiry panel to be set up
New Delhi (PTI): Air India Express will set up an external committee next week to inquire into the incident of one of its off-duty captain assaulting a passenger at the Delhi airport on Friday, sources said.
Soon after the incident on Friday, the Tata Group-owned airline suspended the pilot and the sources told PTI that a show cause notice has also been served to him seeking an explanation.
The proceedings are being carried under the labour laws as a pilot comes under the workmen category. An external inquiry committee will set up next week to probe the incident, the sources said.
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The incident occurred at Terminal 1 (T1) of the Delhi airport on Friday.
The passenger Ankit Dewan, on Friday, shared his experience in a social media post, along with a photo showing blood on his face after the altercation. He also shared a photo of the pilot Virender Sejwal.
On Saturday, the civil aviation ministry said it has taken serious cognizance of the incident and directed the airline to ground the pilot with immediate effect.
"A formal enquiry has been ordered. Detailed reports have been sought from BCAS and CISF," the ministry had said in a post on X in a response to a post by Dewan.
In a statement on Friday, Air India Express said it is aware of an incident at the Delhi airport involving one of its employees, who was travelling as a passenger on another airline, and had an altercation with another passenger.
"We unequivocally condemn such behaviour. The employee concerned has been removed from official duties with immediate effect, pending investigation.
"Appropriate disciplinary action will be initiated based on the findings of the inquiry," the airline had said.
Air India Express officials had also contacted the passenger.
