Coronavirus cases are considerably higher in regions of the Netherlands, Belgium and France compared to other western European nations which have taken stronger measures to contain the virus.Â
A total of 950 regions in 11 different countries around the Netherlands were compared in a study by RTL Nieuws’ data journalist Jasper Bunskoek. The 40 Dutch regions are performing terribly.
“An average region currently has about 15 new positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants per week. All Dutch regions are above that,” Bunskoek says. “Amsterdam and The Hague are even among the top 10 most infectious regions in Western Europe.”
Amsterdam in the top ten
Topping the list of cases is the region of Paris, which recently hosted the tour de France. The region is seeing 231 positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants. Ranking 6th out of 950 is Amsterdam, with 194 positive tests per 100,000. Brussels also ranks in the top 10.
Regions with low rates of corona
German regions do not feature at all until number 72 on the list, which is the city of Hamm. Ireland is also experiencing low figures. Both of these countries enforced immediate measures when numbers started rising, such as Ireland’s detailed COVID-19 Framework.
In Germany, action is taken as soon as a region hits 50 per 100,000. Face masks are mandatory in secondary schools, amusement parks are closed and permits are required for gatherings larger than 25. These measures are clearly paying off, as out of 83 million inhabitants, 9,400 Germans have died. But of the 17.4 million Dutch, 6,300 lives have been taken by the virus.
Meanwhile in Amsterdam…
Despite having some of the worst numbers in western Europe, the measures in Amsterdam are not as strict as those in Hamm for example. Experts are begging cabinet to implement mandatory face masks but the Dutch government are reluctant to do so. Rotterdam and Amsterdam experimented with a face mask rule, but this was brought to an end after less than a month.
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