After a 15-month struggle with coronavirus that has cost more than 20,000 lives, the Netherlands is to bring forward the third phase of its reopening by four days – on foot of figures showing a significant fall in new infections and fatalities. At the same time, cinemas, theatres and museums will reopen to those with bookings. Private homes will able to have four guests rather than the current two a day. And in the meantime, secondary schools are to reopen on Monday, May 31st, some six weeks before the summer break. Routine operationsThe encouraging picture in hospitals is replicated in nursing homes, where the number of institutions reporting new infections in the last seven days has fallen from 134 to 106.

Source: The Irish Times May 27, 2021 18:22 UTC