THE Dutch Prime Minister has apologised for his government’s ‘error of judgement’ in scrapping almost all lockdown restrictions, including allowing nightclubs to reopen, at the end of June, which has led to a staggering 500 per cent increase in Covid cases over the last week.

As a result The Netherlands has had to slam on the brakes and reintroduce a number of lockdown measures – including restricting bar opening times and closing clubs and discotheques altogether for at least a month.

We need to learn from the Dutch experience.

I for one cannot understand the logic in making it compulsory for people to wear masks on public transport (as will be the case in London, even after ‘Freedom Day’ on Monday) when tens of thousands of passengers every day will don masks to travel by bus, tube and train to then spend several hours in poorly ventilated, bars, clubs – cheek-by-jowl with hundreds of alcohol-fuelled revellers – where masks will not be compulsory and social-distancing an impossibility.

The operative word for July 19 should be ‘caution’, not ‘freedom’.

ROBERT READMAN
Norwich Avenue West, Bournemouth