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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 14 OctOber 2020
Dutch order bars, restaurants closed over pandemic fears

By RAF CASERT our behavior," Rutte said.
Associated Press And he warned that "if
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Dutch things don't go well over
government decided to the next weeks, we will
close bars and restaurants move toward a full lock-
as of Wednesday as part down."
of a "partial lockdown" that Because growth of CO-
will last at least four weeks VID-19 is so fast, Rutte said,
to counter the sustained "the hammer to kill the virus
surge in coronavirus cases must be big enough."
across the Netherlands. To make sure that revel-
Prime Minister Mark Rutte ers unable to go to bars
said that the nation need- wouldn't party at home,
ed to move a step closer the government also
to a full lockdown because banned the sale of alcohol
otherwise hospitals would after 8 p.m. The measures
become so overburdened come into effect Wednes-
that people with other ur- day evening.
gent needs would be un- In additional measures, the
able to get treatment. government said that any
"We have to be tougher on household would be able
ourselves," Rutte said in an to receive no more than
address to the nation. The three guests per day. Pub-
measures don't affect the lic transport travel should
school system apart from be limited as much as pos-
a extension of the manda- sible.
tory wearing of facemasks. The official death toll from
"Education is too impor- In this Monday, March 23, 2020 file photo, a cyclist takes images of a barricaded backroad used the virus in the Netherlands
tant." by locals on the Netherlands border with Belgium between Chaam, southern Netherlands, and is 6,587. Rutte warned that
Over the past several Meerle, Northern Belgium. Associated Press cancer or heart patients,
weeks, few other coun- for example, would be at
tries in Europe saw such an 43,903 in the nation of deaths reached 150 com- tudes were a big part in the risk of dying, if COVID-19
increase in cases as the 17.3 million, an increase pared to 89 the week ear- resurgence. patients overwhelmed hos-
Netherlands, and Rutte of around 60% over the lier. The Amsterdam and "All together too many pitals again, forcing delays
said the numbers were "bi- preceding week. People Rotterdam regions are the people didn't respect the in other treatment.
zarrely high." ending up in intensive current hotbeds of the virus rules and we could do not "Postponed care leads to
In the week ending Tues- care units shot up to 192 in the Netherlands. anything else other than in- health damage and sor-
day, new cases stood at from 121, and coronavirus Rutte said people's atti- crease measures. The key is row," he said.q

Russia threatens to halt dialogue with EU amid Navalny spat

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV At Monday's meeting in Organization for the Prohi-
Associated Press Luxembourg, France and bition of Chemical Weap-
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Germany urged their EU ons confirmed that the poi-
foreign minister warned partners to freeze the as- son used on Navalny was
Tuesday that Moscow sets of those suspected of a Novichok nerve agent.
could freeze its contacts involvement and ban them Navalny asserted that his
with the European Union from traveling in Europe poisoning only could have
in response to its sanctions under sanctions to com- been ordered by spymas-
over the poisoning of Rus- bat the use and spread of ters who wouldn't have
sian opposition leader Alex- chemical weapons. made such decisions with-
ei Navalny — an unprece- EU foreign policy chief Jo- out Putin's involvement
dented threat that reflects sep Borrell provided no The Kremlin has rejected
a bitter Russia-EU strain. details about who might Navalny's accusations as
The tough statement from face sanctions or when the "absolutely groundless and
Sergey Lavrov comes a measures might come into unacceptable."
day after the EU foreign force, but said that techni- The Kremlin also reiterated
ministers agreed to impose In this photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, cal work on preparing the that before Navalny's trans-
sanctions on Russian of- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with action will now proceed. fer to Charite Hospital in
ficials and organizations Armenia's Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Moscow, Navalny, an anti-corruption Berlin, Russian labs and a
blamed for Navalny's poi- Russia, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. investigator and the most hospital in the Siberian city
soning with a Soviet-era Associated Press visible opponent of Presi- of Omsk found no sign of
nerve agent. Lavrov said at a foreign Russia, saying that scenario dent Vladimir Putin, fell ill a poisoning. Moscow has
"We probably simply have policy conference attend- will play out if that's what on Aug. 20 during a domes- called for Germany and
to temporarily stop talking ed by experts in Moscow. the EU wants. tic flight in Russia. He was the OPCW to provide its
to those people in the West He specifically pointed "Russia wants to understand flown to Germany for treat- evidence, and bristled at
who are responsible for for- at European Commission whether it's possible to do ment two days later and is Western leaders' insistence
eign policy and don't un- President Ursula von der any business with the EU still recovering there. that Russia answer ques-
derstand the need for mu- Leyen's recent statements in the current conditions," Last week, tests conducted tions about what hap-
tually respectful dialogue," ruling out a partnership with Lavrov added. at labs designated by the pened to the politician.q