The government last week had delayed their final decision on whether new restrictions to combat the coronavirus were really needed until the start of this week. But the weekend brought no let-up in new infections and deaths.

There were still more than 500 cases per day and more than 5% of tests came back positive, health minister Paulette Lenert (LSAP) said during a press conference on 23 November.

Under the new rules, households can only welcome two other people who, in turn, need to be living together. This rule includes families, meaning a family of four cannot visit anyone else’s home. The family could, however, welcome two other people at its home.

“It’s not the time for social gatherings,” said Lenert, urging the public not to rely on what is allowed but instead to meet others only when necessary, for example if taking care of relatives. “Every contact carries a risk,” she said.

“I know it’s not easy. It’s not easy for anyone,” Bettel said of the restrictions that also mean restaurants, bars, fitness studios, swimming pools, cinemas and theatres must close. “I would also like to live differently than we do at the moment,” the premier said. Places of worship will be allowed to stay open but only with distancing and the wearing of masks.

Bettel likened the measures to pulling the handbrake. Although infections have stabilised, the level they are at is too high to maintain effective care within the healthcare sector, he warned. Infections could rise after Christmas, he said, making it all the more important to bring cases down now to avoid hospitals from being overwhelmed in the coming months.

A curfew from 11pm until 6am that was set to expire at the end of November will continue until 15 December along with the other restrictions that the Chamber of Deputies is scheduled to vote on.

The premier did not want to speculate on what rules will be implemented after this date and over the holiday period.

Both ministers said the measures did not aim at stigmatising restaurants as virus hotspots. Instead, the goal was to limit all social contacts where people meet without distances and without wearing a mask. The origin of more than half of cases cannot be traced, Lenert said.

School cafeterias will remain open but secondary students should prepare for a mix of remote learning and classroom teaching, Bettel said, even though this measure does not form part of the laws being voted on Wednesday.

By introducing these restrictions, the government hopes to avoid an even stricter lockdown--such as in neighbouring Belgium and France--Bettel said. “We want to avoid the worst,” he said.