Many Dutch people pay a visit to their southern neighbors these days. They go out for a day. This is not possible in the Netherlands due to the lockdown.
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The day before yesterday, for example, it was remarkably busy on roads from the Netherlands to Belgium. And yesterday there was ‘again extra crowds’ on the roads around Breda towards Antwerp, the ANWB reported.
Yesterday, the NS deployed employees on the platforms to manage the passenger flows. Earlier that day it happened ‘a few times’ that passengers had to stay behind because a train was too full.
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Prime Minister Mark Rutte previously called on the Dutch not to travel to Belgium or Germany if it is not absolutely necessary. Governor of Antwerp Cathy Berx also urgently requested the Dutch at the end of December for their Christmas shopping, restaurant or cafe visit not to move to Belgium.
Not everyone listened to that call. The Dutch did massive Christmas shopping in Antwerp this year, can be seen in these images:
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