140,000 people fined for breaking curfew or social distancing rules

In the two years since coronavirus reached the Netherlands, the Dutch public prosecution department says it has dealt with 1,475 criminal investigations relating to the pandemic.

In 2020, most cases related to people spitting or coughing at the police and public sector workers in an effort to infect them, the department said on Thursday. In 2021, most prosecutions involved people who had been taking part in demonstrations against government coronavirus policy.

Most of those cases – 404 – stemmed from the riots which took place at the end of January 2021, when the curfew was brought in. In total, 91 of those cases involved teenagers under the age of 18.

In addition, nearly 146,000 people faced fines for breaking the curfew, not wearing a mask, or failing to social distance since the restrictions were introduced. However, nearly 4,000 cases were eventually dropped after protests.

In addition, 913 people opted to go to court and fight the fine. Of the cases heard so far, 143 people have been found not guilty or the charges against them were dismissed.

The fine is currently €95 for an adult but was €390 up to October 2020. However, the amount was lowered after MPs said a Covid related fine should not mean people had a criminal record.