THE HAGUE, Dec 14, 2021 (AFP) – The Netherlands will shut primary schools next week and extend a night-time lockdown as fears grow over the Omicron coronavirus variant, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday.

Schools will close from December 20 instead of on Christmas Day on December 25 due to concerns that children, among whom Covid-19 rates are the highest, could infect older relatives.

“This is obviously not the joyful message we had hoped for as Christmas approaches. But it’s not a surprise,” Rutte told a press conference.

“We cannot ignore the warning signs about the Omicron variant.”

The government will also extend until January 14 restrictions that mean shops, bars and restaurants must close between 5 pm and 5 am daily, and that people can only receive four guests at home, he said.

The measures came into force on November 28 for an initial period of three weeks.

Coronavirus cases are highest per 100,000 among children of primary school, the Dutch public health authority RIVM said earlier Tuesday.

The government said it had taken the decision to close schools early on the advice of its pandemic experts “now that there are major concerns about the emergence of the Omicron variant, which is spreading quickly”.

“Because the Christmas holidays start directly with Christmas this year, children could unknowingly infect their older relatives, resulting in too much pressure on care,” the government said in a statement.

The Dutch government’s coronavirus restrictions have become increasingly unpopular, with riots erupting in cities including Rotterdam and The Hague over several nights in November.

Five people were wounded when police opened fire during the riots in Rotterdam.

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