Courts in the Netherland will reopen in a limited capacity (in Dutch) on 11 May 2020 to allow for physical hearings. For the time being, physical hearings are intended only for those court cases where the parties’ presence is essential - priority will be given to criminal defence cases and family law cases. Court rooms have been made 'corona-proof' to ensure that participants can safely remain at a distance from each other. The public will not be allowed to attend these physical hearings, although a limited number of journalists may be allowed to attend.  

Hearings and interrogations will continue to be held via telephone or videoconferencing as much as possible, but the reopening of the courts will allow for criminal cases to be heard on the merits, which has apparently proven difficult, leading to delays in many criminal cases.  

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