The Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte held a press conference on Tuesday, November 3rd, which outlined new coronavirus-related restrictions to be put into effect on Wednesday, November 4th at 10 pm local.
Among the new restrictions that will span at least two weeks is the governmental closure of swimming pools. This means that no swimming lessons can take place, although there is an elite athlete exclusion clause on which we are seeking clarification.
From the Dutch government, “Together we have succeeded in halting the rise of coronavirus infections. We are on the right path, but we are not moving quickly enough. The numbers need to drop faster if we are to guarantee the quality of care for all patients and prevent hospital staff from becoming overwhelmed. We also want to speed up the return to greater freedom in our daily lives. The government has therefore decided to impose extra measures for the next 2 weeks on top of the current partial lockdown.”
KNZB issues the following statement after the press conference, “Following the press conference on Tuesday 3 November, the swimming pools will have to close their doors for two weeks on Wednesday 4 November from 22:00. The closure of swimming pools also means that no swimming lessons can take place.
We are very sorry for our swimmers and look forward to an early reopening.”
Additional new restrictions imposed with this new round include:
- You may have no more than two (was three) visitors to your home in a 24 hour period, excluding children under the age of 13
- Group sizes in public places and spaces should be no more than two (was four), from mixed households
- Working from home is to become the norm again, and ministers are again talking to employers organizations to make sure it is encouraged
- No more than 30 people may attend a funeral and up to 20 people may attend a wedding
- Gyms remain open but there will be no group lessons for two weeks NEW: Swimming pools will be closed for two weeks
The Netherlands has seen 376,000 total coronavirus cases reported, resulting in 7,576 deaths.
Gyms open, but pools are closed… ok
Gyms private, pools public?
If so, good catch