Half of the Dutch STILL don’t wash their hands, even in the face of a pandemic

With coronavirus in full swing, the government as well as media outlets have made it pretty clear that one of the ways to prevent the spread of the virus is, you guessed it, to wash your hands.  

The RIVM is currently investigating the efficacy of advice regarding coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Shockingly, only 48% of Dutch people are listening to advice to wash their hands more often one the past few weeks, RTL Nieuws reports. At the press conference on Tuesday, Minister of Health, Hugo de Jonge stated that of all the advice issued by the government, this was the worst-scoring in terms of the percentage of people following through.

Ironically, the advice to wash your hands is given pretty regularly, de Jonge notes. Yet even before coronavirus times, people in the Netherlands still struggled to wash their hands. Why that is remains a mystery equal only to the ingredients of bitterballen.

Other coronavirus advice is being (mostly) followed

On the plus side, de Jonge also stated that people are following other behavioural advice well, such as keeping to smaller groups, taking the train only when necessary and keeping a distance from one another.

But hand-washing literally takes two minutes, and should be a reflex action, just as the 1.5 meter rule has become.

In normal times not washing your hands is gross enough already, but during the coronavirus times it is truly a matter of life and death. So, please: wash your hands, people!

Why do you think Dutchies score badly when it comes to washing hands? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature image: Burst/Pexels

Accuracy, clarity, and a touch of humour — that’s DutchReview. Read our editorial mission.

Vedika Luthra
Vedika Luthrahttp://hotchocolatehits.com
Vedika was born in India, raised in Poland and moved to the Netherlands to study. Like her nationality, she’s confused about what she likes most, which is why her bachelor’s degree was in liberal arts and sciences. She enjoys writing about all things food-related but likes to mix it up every now and then.

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