Dutch court orders government to scrap coronavirus curfew

'This requires a very careful decision-making process,' the court ruled.

A deserted Damrak Street during curfew in the heart of Amsterdam. Picture: Peter Dejong/AP

A Dutch court has ordered the government to end the curfew it imposed last month to rein in the spread of coronavirus, saying the ruling coalition was not entitled to use emergency powers to enforce the restrictive measure.

In a written statement, The Hague District Court called the curfew a “far-reaching violation of the right to freedom of movement and privacy” that also indirectly curtails the rights of freedom of assembly and demonstration.