Dutch court orders end to coronavirus curfew

A court in the Netherlands has said the order for a night curfew will not stand and should be lifted. The judgments shocked government officials, and they will appeal the decision. 

Night curfews infringe on freedom of movement - Dutch court 

In a rather strange judgment, a court in The Hague has said the Netherlands government has no right to impose any type of curfew to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The judge insisted that the curfew be removed immediately, as it goes against the right of individuals to move freely. 

The Dutch court said this type of curfew was made initially for emergencies, and there aren't any serious emergency cases for now. According to Virus Waarheid, a campaign organization against the ban, they said it is a victory for democracy '. 

The Dutch Prime Minister, Mr. Mark Rutte, pleaded with people to adhere to the curfew even with this new ruling. He insisted that the ruling is the best of the people and will reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. However, a prosecutor for the government has said the courts should let the curfew remain till an appeal has been successfully lodged later this week.

Government vows to appeal 

But, till the court gets a decision on this, the Dutch government will not be able to prevent people from moving overnight. According to the president,'' this ruling is a huge setback for the government, and we are working on the next step to make the law active'. 

Many European countries have used curfews to limit movement due to COVID-19. France and Greece have imposed a lockdown from 19:00 till 4.am.  There hasn't been a lockdown in the Netherlands since the first world war and citizens are wondering why this is necessary. 

The government has been hesitant to impose curfews last year, but in January due to increased cases of new strains globally, wants to prevent high infection rates in the country.