As expected, and due to the astronomical coronavirus figures reported yesterday, the Dutch cabinet has announced that there will be a new press conference this Friday — meaning we may be about to see stricter measures.
We certainly didn’t plan on being glued to the TV for another presser so soon, but the Dutch government deemed it necessary for their December 3 conference to be brought forward given the deteriorating coronavirus situation in the Netherlands.
Although this meeting is untraditionally a full week ahead of its schedule according to the NOS, much like any press conference from the past, it’ll likely be proceeded by leaks of some of the main restrictions.
According to Minister De Jonge, “the picture is gloomy and worrying. The changes we want to see are not yet imminent,” reports RTL Nieuws.
Keeping the public on our toes
So far, what we know for sure is that the Dutch Outbreak Management Team (OMT) will be meeting later this evening to discuss and recommend additional coronavirus measures to the Dutch cabinet.
And we have a good idea of where the OMT stands after they sent out a dire warning just yesterday about the importance of following measures.
READ MORE | Experts warn of code black scenario unless Dutch measures are tightened
However, the Dutch government doesn’t always follow the OMT’s recommendations’ to the dot. The decision to bring forward the press conference and meet with the OMT tonight comes in light of a worrying announcement by the Dutch Healthcare Authority’s (NZA).
According to the NZA, Dutch hospitals are can no longer provide all necessary healthcare within a six weeks timeframe to patients in need due to the rising number of coronavirus patients.
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