Dutch bars and restaurants can reopen after lockdown - PM Rutte

Bars, restaurants and theatres in the Netherlands can reopen on Jan. 26, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Tuesday, further relaxing the country's COVID-19 restrictions despite record infection levels. Health Minister Ernst Kuipers said experts felt the reopening was possible in part because hospitalisations from the country's Omicron wave have been lower than initially feared. 'We really are taking a risk today, and we have to be clear about that,' Rutte said, announcing the decision at a nationally televised news conference.