Dutch rioters set fire to coronavirus testing center

A coronavirus testing center in a small Dutch town was set on fire by rioters angry at the country imposing a curfew.

According to local media, “dozens of youngsters” in Urk — a town of just over 20,000, some 80 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam — gathered in the harbor area just after the 9 p.m. curfew and set a drive-in coronavirus test center ablaze.

Mayor Cees van den Bos said he was “ashamed” and called in riot police. According to the Associated Press, local authorities issued a statement expressing their anger at the rioting, “from throwing fireworks and stones to destroying police cars and with the torching of the test location.”

“This is not only unacceptable but also a slap in the face, especially for the local health authority staff who do all they can at the test center to help people from Urk,” the local authorities said.

Police were also called in Stein, a town of 24,000 in Limburg, close to the Belgian border, where a group of around 100 people refused to obey the curfew and pelted officers with fireworks, according to 1Limburg.

The Netherlands introduced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. that started Saturday night and will be in place until February 10. Anyone breaking the curfew must carry with them an official form with details of why they are outside, or risk a €95 fine.