Dutch extend COVID lockdown; school holidays to start early

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government has ordered elementary schools to close a week early for Christmas holidays as authorities battle to rein in coronavirus infections amid concerns about the swift spread of the omicron variant. Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday also extended the country’s existing lockdown until Jan. 14. Rutte said the government has to be alert for the new variant. He said the measures were “of course not the good news you hope for at Christmas time.” Rutte says school holidays will be extended from two weeks to three. Young children registered the steepest rises in infections in a recent surge in the Netherlands.