Regular readers of this blog will be well aware of a post that I wrote on July 2nd. In it, I detailed how clubbers were being lined up to take the blame for the inevitable wave of Covid infections in England once restrictions were removed. A few people weren’t happy with the post – accusing me of being “cynical” and, more bizarrely, a “lockdown lover”. All sorts of dingbats can contact you on the internet…

Anyway, it gives me only a tiny bit of pleasure to say that I have been proven right… just not in England – yet.  On June 26th, the Netherlands removed almost all of their coronavirus restrictions. Since then, cases have rocketed at a far higher rate than the government projected, and it’s causing problems. They include the long-term costs of dealing with the long Covid phenomenon, and the risks to those who aren’t yet vaccinated.

So they’ve had to backtrack. As of yesterday, nightclubs in the Netherlands must close once more. And the government’s own website, sure enough, has a statement which includes the line “most infections have occurred in nightlife settings” – and I blogged about one of the major outbreaks in the country last Tuesday.

Is this what’s in store for England in a few weeks? There is an important difference here. As of Friday, the Netherlands had given first doses to 64.7% of the population and second doses to 38.8%. The UK figures are 68.4% and 51.3% respectively. So there is a higher degree of protection there. Unfortunately, there’s a but.

As previously mentioned, Covid outbreaks in the Netherlands mostly seem to be flaring up in nightclubs. These clubs enforced requirements for a negative test or evidence of double vaccination in order to gain entry. English nightclubs will be under no such obligation – and given that infection rates are currently highest in those under 40, this is a potential recipe for disaster.

It’s no wonder that other nations in the UK aren’t following suit…