These are the Dutch regions that are currently “corona-free”

Coronavirus is not affecting all regions of the Netherlands equally, as several municipalities have not had any new cases for over a month.

There have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in almost forty municipalities for over a month, especially in the north of the Netherlands, RTL Nieuws reports. In the municipalities of Loppersum (Groningen) and Dantumadiel (Friesland), no corona was found for more than two months. No one has had coronavirus at all on the islands of Vlieland, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog since the Dutch outbreak began in March.

Now, of course, this is based on people who have been tested: it is possible that someone in one of these locations could have had coronavirus, and simply not been tested for it. But nonetheless, it does seem that coronavirus is definitely not spreading equally through the Netherlands.

This seems to be the case based on hospital admissions as well. In over half of the municipalities in the Netherlands, no one has needed to go to hospital with coronavirus. The majority of infections seem to be concentrated in the large cities: which of course, makes sense.

Frustration with coronavirus rules in less affected areas

However, the disparity in infections has caused frustration among some entrepreneurs and business owners, who believe that places with lower infection rates should not need to obey the strict coronavirus rules. In an interview with RTL Nieuws, UMCG professor of microbiology Alex Friedrich says this might not be a bad idea.

Relaxing rules in some areas first would basically function as a test run for a more widespread relaxation. “If you notice that it is increasing, you can adjust again. If you notice that it is decreasing or remains the same, you can also relax in other regions.”

Would you support relaxing the coronavirus rules in the least affected areas first? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. 

Feature Image: Laura Corrigan/Supplied