During the parliamentary inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic on Monday, Mark Rutte, who was the Prime Minister at the time, said that the curfew, imposed in early 2021, was inevitable, WNL reports.

The curfew was the only remaining instrument, Rutte argued. “There was no alternative,” he said, adding that everyone was already almost fully locked down at the time. The first curfew, on January 23, 2021, was the first time the measure was enacted in the Netherlands since World War II.

“Almost everyone” was also already fully working from home, Rutte argued, despite the mandate not having been imposed at the time. Schools were also closed for the third time back then, despite the political wish to not do it for the second time.

According to Rutte, the Cabinet was aware of how deeply the curfew interfered with people’s right of free movement. He said officials were convinced by models showing that the measure could reduce infections.

During the inquiry, Rutte also said that if everyone had followed the basic measures of keeping the 1.5-meter distance and being extra careful about hygiene, other restrictions would not have been necessary.

“Suppose everyone had said, ‘I’ll keep 1.5 meters of distance, I’ll sneeze into my elbow, I won’t shake hands, and I will ventilate enough,'” he said. However, he then immediately said that there would have still “inevitably” been a group of people breaking the rules.