World

Dutch crisis as court orders end to COVID curfew

February 17, 2021 12:14 pm

A court in The Hague has told the Dutch government that an overnight curfew to reduce the spread of coronavirus should be lifted, ruling that it breaches the right to free movement.

The court said the 21:00 to 04:30 curfew was imposed by an emergency law when there was no “acute emergency”.

Later, a higher court ruled that the curfew could stay in place pending an appeal on Friday.

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The curfew, imposed in January, led to rioting in several Dutch cities.

Police were patrolling streets near the Dutch parliament on Tuesday evening but no unrest has been reported so far.

The earlier court ruling – which said the curfew should be lifted immediately – was a victory for campaign group Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth) and a major upset for the government.