Bars and restaurants will close early and sporting events will be held without audiences under a three-week, partial lockdown that is expected to be announced in the Netherlands on Friday evening, APA reports citing Reuters.
Dutch broadcaster NOS said the first such measures in Western Europe since the summer will go into effect on Saturday evening in a bid to stop a surge in COVID-19 cases, which hit a record on Thursday.
People will be urged to work from home as much as possible, and no audiences will be allowed at sporting events in the coming weeks, including top-level soccer matches. Schools, theatres and cinemas would remain open.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte's cabinet will take a final decision during a cabinet meeting on Friday, and will announce the new measures during a televised news conference scheduled for 1800 GMT.
It was unclear whether the government would adopt a politically-sensitive recommendation by its leading pandemic advisory panel to limit access to public places to people who have been fully vaccinated or have had COVID-19 after the lockdown period.
New coronavirus infections in the country of 17.5 million have increased rapidly after social distancing measures were dropped in late September and hit a record of around 16,300 in 24 hours on Thursday.
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