Sharjah24 – AFP: Decked out from head to toe in fancy dress, singing and dancing, Dutch revellers celebrated carnival on Friday, as the Netherlands axed most Covid restrictions.
The country is one of the last in Europe to ease towards normal after last December imposing some of the continent's toughest measures to curb a surge in Omicron infections, especially unpopular among Dutch party animals.
Friday saw restaurants allowed to stay open beyond 1:00 am, health passes dropped and social distancing axed. Masks remain compulsory only on public transport.
In Breda, hundreds of people thronged cafes in balloon-festooned streets as music blared out again until late.
Carnival season in 2020 marked the start of coronavirus spreading in the Netherlands.
With a population of 17 million people, the Netherlands has recorded 21,414 deaths linked to Covid-19 and 5.8 million cases during the pandemic. More than 85 percent of the adult population is vaccinated.
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