Nightclubs Forced To Close; Dekmantel 2021 Music Festival Canceled
Just as it was rocking again, Amsterdam nightlife threatens to go dark as COVID-19 cases rise in the Netherlands.
Restrictions on have been re-introduced across the country. Nightclubs are again closed until at last Aug. 13. This is just a few weeks after most lockdown measures were pulled on June 26. All multi-day festivals and events with large crowds have been canceled until Aug. 14.
This has caused the cancelation of the Dekmantel music festival, which was scheduled for Aug. 4-8. It’s still up in the air whether or not the the F1 Dutch Grand Prix Zandvoort, set for Sept. 3-5, will take place.
More than 9,000 new cases were reported in the Netherlands on July 11. The previous number was 1,000 a day. Overall, almost 52,000 infections were confirmed through Tuesday, July 13, health authorities said. That is up from 8,500 the previous week. More than 150 people who attended one nightclub have tested positive.
“Our aim is to protect those with vulnerable health conditions and the health service, as well as to cause as little damage as possible to the economy and society,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. “It is not a question of blaming a particular age group or sector.”
He added, “what we thought would be possible, turned out not to be possible in practice. We had poor judgement, which we regret and for which we apologize.”
Nearly 80% of the Netherlands population has had at least one vaccine shot. Rutte is encouraging those who had had just one shot to get the second one.
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