new daily cases since the pandemic began, more than 162,000 on friday. the netherlands is relaxing some of its covid restrictions. nonessential stores, hairdressers, beauty salons, and other service providers will be allowed to reopen on saturday. the prime minister says it s a big step. it s also, he says, a risk. and i m joined now by cnn s melissa bell in paris. melissa, when you think about it, europe still grappling with omicron, and it s not peaked yet in most places. reporter: it s not peaked yet, and you mentioned the netherlands a moment ago. what the health ministry explained is he announced some of those relaxations of the rules, beauty salons able to open from saturday, it was about learning to live with this particular variant longer term. it is spreading faster than any other we ve seen, more widely than any other we ve seen so far, with records set in germany, france, spain, the netherlands, and that peak still ahead of us.
let s move on. you heard it there, paula. let s talk about anything, g7, northern ireland, the vaccine, anything at all. but the parties are going on in downing street. i hardly doubt anybody is moving on soon, paula. there s that going on in place with the allegations ranging from 2020 to 2021, to find out whether or not prime minister boris johnson could be implicated. paula. that means he will continue to face questions about what he knew, which parties he attended, all of that, as omicron is still a factor in britain. salma abdelaziz, appreciate that update. elsewhere in europe, germany s top official says around 1% of the population is currently infected with covid. reported a record high for the third day in a row. friday, morning 92,000 new cases. the netherlands, meantime, is relaxing some of its covid restrictions beginning today. nonessential stores, hairdressers, beauty salons and
a final flourish of festive cheer before dutch cities shutdown for christmas. department stores and toy shops weren t ready for this level of footfall. while here, a beauty salon squeezed clients in for a last minute shave. translation: it was nice to go to the city for a little while before the lockdowns. translation: it s too busy i everywhere but i have to come get presents before the christmas holidays. under the new measures outlined on saturday, all nonessential stores, bars, restaurants, and other public places are to shut from sunday. essential shops, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, must close by 8pm. and as previously announced, schools are closed until at least january 9. the prime minister delivered the message in a sombre tone. translation: omicron is spreading even faster
people now have the virus. our coverage starts in the netherlands with this report from anna holligan. a final flourish of festive cheer before dutch cities shut down for christmas. department stores and toy shops weren t ready for this level of footfall. while hair and beauty salons squeezed clients in for a last minute shave. translation: it was nice to go to the city for a little while before the lockdown. it s too busy everywhere, but i have to come to get presents before the christmas holidays. under the new measures outlined on saturday, all nonessential stores, bars, restaurants, and other public places, are to shut from sunday. essential shops, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, must close by 8pm. and, as previously announced, schools are closed until at least january 9. the prime minister delivered the message in a sombre tone. translation: omicron is spreading even faster than feared,
translation: it was nice to go to the city for a little while before the lockdown. it s too busy everywhere, but i have to come to get presents before the christmas holidays. under the new measures outlined on saturday, all nonessential stores, bars, restaurants, and other public places, are to shut from sunday. essential shops, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, must close by 8pm. and, as previously announced, schools are closed until at least january 9. the prime minister delivered the message in a sombre tone. translation: omicron is spreading even faster than feared, and so we must intervene now to prevent much worse. this is one of the most popular shopping streets in the heart of the hague, and normally at this time of year it would be heaving. the dutch prime minister said the response to the omicron variant was unavoidable. but the government s critics argue