Home Blog Page 548

Groningen receives funding for the Netherlands’ first hyperloop speed train

Emily Burger
-
0
Groningen receives funding for the Netherlands’ first hyperloop speed train

The construction of a hyperloop test track near Groningen can once again proceed thanks to a government injection of 4.5 million euros from the Ministries of Infrastructure and Economic Affairs.

The hyperloop is a new train technology in which the train is enclosed in a vacuum tube, allowing it to travel at enormous speeds. Several companies around the world are developing the technology, and they hope to prove that it is a safe and economically viable means of transport in the next two or three years, reports NOS.

Infrastructure expected to be ready in 2022

Hardt Hyperloop, a company founded by students from TU Delft, are one of which that will be receiving government funding. They are responsible for building the three-kilometre-long test track near Groningen, of which the total costs are 30 million euros.

They are aiming to complete all facilities and infrastructure for the test track by 2022. Companies Tata Steel, Vattenfall, IHC, Schiphol and construction company BAM are involved in the project. The province of Groningen has also contributed three million euros.

What do you make of this new project? Tell us in the comments below.

Feature Image: Hardt Hyperloop

EU citizens stuck in the UK and South Africa can now return with a negative test

Emily Burger
-
1
EU citizens stuck in the UK and South Africa can now return with a negative test

As of today, Dutch citizens and people from other European countries can fly from the UK and South Africa back to the Netherlands, provided they show a negative coronavirus test result.

But the urgent advice for these travelers is to go into a ten day quarantine upon their return regardless of the negative result, reports RTL Nieuws.

Mutated virus

The decision to ban flights from the UK and South Africa was made on the basis of a mutated coronavirus being diagnosed in those countries. This strain of the mutation is reportedly 70% more contagious than previous strains of the virus.

Freight connections

Yesterday, the European Commission urged member states not to abandon the UK, but to reopen critical freight connections. Like the Netherlands, France is opening their borders to Great Britain again for freight traffic, so long as truck drivers have a negative test result from within the previous 72 hours.

Extending testing regulations

The Dutch cabinet want to implement a negative test requirement for more countries as soon as possible. Dutch and European citizens traveling from these countries would also have to provide a negative test result. Cabinet’s urgent advice to travel only if necessary remains in place.

New mutation in Amsterdam

Two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain have been found in Amsterdam now, one of which did not appear to have traveled to the UK. But Health Minister De Jonge is not too concerned about it. “We don’t think it will be very widespread, not comparable to the English situation,” he said.

Coronavirus figures broke records yesterday in Great Britain, with 36,804 new infections. The speed of the spread is likely due to the new virus strain.

Do you know people in the UK and South Africa waiting to return home? Tell us in the comments below.

Feature Image: Cor Gaasbeek/Pixabay

Fast-spreading variant of coronavirus found in two more people in Amsterdam

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
-
0
Fast-spreading variant of coronavirus found in two more people in Amsterdam

Two more people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the new, fast-spreading variant of coronavirus. Both cases were found in Amsterdam. One person had recently been to the United Kingdom, the other had not.

This is following Sunday’s news that the new variant of coronavirus was found in one person in the Netherlands. The Minister for Health, Hugo De Jonge, has told the NOS that an investigation will be launched into how the two people may have contracted the mutated strain.

Not like the United Kingdom

De Jonge believes that while the discovery of the new strain is worrying, the Netherlands will not have as serious an issue as the UK, the NOS reports. “We don’t think it will be very widespread, not comparable to the English situation.”

He believes that the current restrictions will help to prevent the continued spread of the mutated strain of coronavirus.

Entry ban

On Sunday, it was announced that the Netherlands would impose an entry ban on travellers from the United Kingdom. This meant that anyone looking to come to the Netherlands from the UK would not be allowed to enter the country, resident or not.

A similar measure was brought in for South African flight passengers on Monday. However, the government has now announced that EU citizens who are travelling from both the UK and South Africa and who can show a recent negative coronavirus test result, will now be allowed to enter the Netherlands.

No need for extra measures

De Jonge tells the NOS that he does not believe stricter measures are necessary for the Netherlands. Instead, he says that people need to continue to stick by the current measures.

“It’s not that easy to come up with something on top of that, the current set should be enough if we just stick to the rules very well.”

Jump in numbers

The new variant of coronavirus is not the Netherlands’ only problem. Coronavirus numbers have seen a significant jump this past week with 82,340 people testing positive for the virus. The previous week, that number stood at 58,412.

Do you think stricter measures are necessary? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Coronavirus update: shocking jump in weekly infections across the Netherlands

Emily Burger
-
0
Coronavirus update: shocking jump in weekly infections across the Netherlands

Staggering coronavirus numbers were announced today by the RIVM, with 82,340 new infections in the past week. This is up from 58,412 the previous week.

Hospitalizations are also climbing, with 1,549 admitted this week compared to 1,326 from the week before. In addition to this, 287 people went into ICU this past week, compared to 230 the previous week.

The death rate is also increasing, as 472 passed away from the coronavirus this week, up from 398.

In case you missed anything, here’s a quick recap of the biggest corona stories from the week:

New strands and flight bans

A new strand of the coronavirus has been detected in some countries, resulting in travel bans from the UK and South Africa to the Netherlands this week. Repatriation flights will not be taking place, and Dutch citizens stuck abroad have been advised to find safe accommodation. For now, only medical personnel are exempt from the ban.

All planned Dutch hospital care temporarily suspended

Due to the overwhelming pressure on the health system, which is expected to peak in January, all planned hospital and independent clinic care will be suspended for the time being. This will free up medical workers to attend coronavirus patients in the hospitals. Additional ICU beds are being set up, and in the case that no Dutch beds are available, patients will be sent to Germany.

Dutch vaccination plan lagging behind

Vaccinations in Germany will begin the day after Christmas, but the Dutch will have to wait until January for their shots. But criticisms have arisen of the hesitant and slow decision making by the Dutch government. Hanco Jürgens of the German Institute of the University of Amsterdam commented that he believes the Netherlands will only really be ready for mass vaccination by March.

While the Netherlands lag behind their neighbours regarding vaccination strategies, systems for tracking vaccinations are also only expected to be ready around March. The Dutch government plan to link vaccinations to DigiD accounts. A downloadable vaccination certificate will be available for you once you log in. But, as mentioned, this system is only expected to be ready three months after the first vaccinations in the Netherlands.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more coronavirus updates.

Feature Image: Governor Tom Wolf/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0

All planned Dutch hospital care suspended to free up COVID-19 capacity

Brin Andrews
-
0
All planned Dutch hospital care suspended to free up COVID-19 capacity

All planned hospital and independent clinic care will be suspended in order to free up medical staff, according to a new report by Minister of Medical Care Tamara van Ark.

The increasing number of coronavirus patients in hospitals has placed undue pressure on the healthcare system. The heavy workload and high infection rates among medical workers have led to increased absenteeism, and, according to the NOS, the peak is expected in January.

“It is really all hands on deck in the hospitals in the coming weeks,” says Van Ark. “Unfortunately, regular care that can be planned must be scaled down in this special period.”

The number of ICU beds will also be increased. While there are normally 1,150, there will now be 1,450. Additional patients will be relocated for care in Germany.

For the more of the latest coronavirus news in the Netherlands, follow DutchReview on Facebook.

Feature Image: Free-Photos/Pixabay

Police won’t be peeking into windows over Christmas, but will intervene in extreme cases

Emily Burger
-
0
Police won’t be peeking into windows over Christmas, but will intervene in extreme cases

Officers will not be checking up on every household over the Christmas holidays, according to the National Police, but in extreme cases of parties breaking coronavirus regulations, they will step in.

While a maximum of three guests will be permitted at your Dutch dinner this Christmas, officers “don’t intend to peek through all the curtains” to check up on this, a spokesman says. (Not that the Dutch ever use their curtains.) “Moreover, a group of ten people can also be a household,” the spokesperson went on.

Illegal parties

Instead, police attention will be directed to parties going excessively over the limits, for example, “twenty people…dancing in the living room”, reports NU.

But even then, police cannot just barge in. “Permission must be requested from the public prosecutor for this. So we cannot just enter a living room to hand out fines,” a spokesperson explained.

Additional pressure

With the hard lockdown and fireworks ban, the main task for police this year will be to maintain public order. Tracking smaller gatherings will therefore not be a high priority for officers. “But if the pressure allows it, we will, of course, maintain it.”

Different police approaches

However, in different municipalities, what is defined as ‘excess’ may differ. For example, Police Chief Wilbert Paulissen (East Brabant) commented that he could accept no more than ten people gathering on New Year’s Eve. “Then we will really ring the bell,” Paulissen told the Eindhovens Dagblad.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more news.

Feature Image: Eugene Zhyvchik/Unsplash

Demand for parcels too high: PostNL capacity maxed out

Brin Andrews
-
1
Demand for parcels too high: PostNL capacity maxed out

PostNL has expanded its capacity in an attempt to meet the demand for holiday shipments, but alas, they can no longer keep up. The postal service is unable to collect all parcels from webshops.

Since the lockdown went into effect, closing all non-essential shops, increased pressure has been placed on parcel delivery services. “We have already scaled up to 1.7 million parcels per day, which is now really the maximum achievable,” Liesbeth Kaashoek, director of Parcels at PostNL tells NU.

“Compared to the beginning of this year, the capacity has increased by 90%,” says Kaashoek.

Hold your returns

PostNL is implementing some new measures to maximise efficiency while continuing to work safely and responsibly.

For one, the postal company is asking that customers hold onto their return packages until January 7. Kaashoek says PostNL is “in talks with the online stores about extending the period.”

At bol.com, for example, the return period has already been extended to 60 days. Kaashoek explains, “For everything we collect we also deliver.”

Mobile parcel points

Since the beginning of the lockdown, increased burden has been placed on parcel points, so PostNL is implementing mobile parcel points “to take the biggest pressure off there. Every little bit helps.”

“We have to relieve the pressure on the existing points and certainly those in supermarkets so that it does not become even busier there in the run-up to Christmas,” says Kaashoek.

As of Monday, PostNL has set up mobile parcel points at supermarkets and hardware stores at about 20 locations.

Kaashoek emphasises that although the company is operating under strain, “Our people deliver top performance.”

Are you sending or receiving more packages than usual this holiday season? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Feature Image: PostNL/Supplied

The new Trump ambassador to the Netherlands, Pete Hoekstra, lies about his own lies

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
-
5

Seasonal greetings from the United States as well! As the new ambassador to the Netherlands, Pete Hoekstra – a new appointee by the one and only Donald Trump, is already caught lying before the new year starts.

The new US ambassador to the Netherlands has denied saying that there are no-go areas in the Netherlands and that cars and politicians are being set on fire because of radical Islam. Which we also deny, but hey, we weren’t making those ridiculous hateful claims anyways.

In an interview with the Dutch news programme Nieuwsuur, Pete Hoekstra told NOS correspondent Wouter Zwart he had never said such things. ‘I didn’t say that. That is actually an incorrect statement. We would call it fake news,’ Hoekstra said. However, the new ambassador can be seen clearly making the lying statements in a shot from 2015. ‘And yes, there are no-go areas in the Netherlands’

What a clown, can’t we get another Dutchie person who’s big in the United States? Or you know, someone who isn’t caught in a triple lying combo the first day on the job.

We already wrote a bit about Pete Hoekstra, the news wasn’t good, here you go:

Three things about the new US ambassador to the Netherlands: Pete Hoekstra

And then there’s also this piece about Trump and money laundering in the Netherlands:

Trump money laundering in the Netherlands: Paper trail could be the end

Still thinking that the Netherlands might be a big no-go area? You might want to check this little movie about how we made it to the number spot of the ‘Good Country Index’

Now that doesn’t look like a ravished no-go area now does it Pete Hoekstra?

Hey there! Be sure to follow DutchReview on Facebook in order to not miss out on any other good stuff!

And we’re on Instagram too!

 

Ban on flights from South Africa to the Netherlands, no repatriation

Emily Burger
-
0
Ban on flights from South Africa to the Netherlands, no repatriation

From 9 PM yesterday evening, flights from South Africa to the Netherlands were cancelled immediately as a travel ban against the African nation came into effect.

A new strand of the coronavirus was recently diagnosed in South Africa, and the Ministry of Infrastructure has confirmed that the flight ban is to prevent this from spreading further in the Netherlands, reports NOS.

Similarly, Turkey has banned all flights from the Netherlands, as someone in the Netherlands was diagnosed with the mutated coronavirus, reports NU.

The new strand, also found in the UK, Denmark, Australia, Italy, and now one case in the Netherlands, is 70% more contagious than previous variants of the coronavirus, according to the British government. Flights from the UK have also been banned.

No repatriation

Cases in South Africa are currently rising rapidly, and flights from the country have also been banned by Turkey, Israel and Germany. Dutch people in South Africa and the UK, where the mutation has also been found, will not be repatriated. “We can’t do that. In coronavirus time, travel is just a risk, people should understand that,” says Public Health Minister Hugo de Jonge.

“For Dutch people who cannot return from South Africa, the advice is to find safe accommodation,” writes the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Return with a negative test

For now, flights from South Africa carrying cargo and medical personnel will still be permitted. But the health minister hopes to put a mandatory negative test result in place, which would allow other flights from South Africa to resume.

The Dutch government hopes to implement this as soon as possible, and the negative test requirement would also apply to EU citizens.

For Dutch truck drivers stuck in the UK, De Jonge has said that with negative tests they will be allowed to return home now. However, he warned that the testing process can take a few days and so for them to return home in time for Christmas is unlikely.

Will these new travel bans effect you? Tell us in the comments below.

Feature Image: Niels And Marco/Unsplash

Dutch municipalities to take tougher action against businesses not complying with lockdown

Brin Andrews
-
1
Dutch municipalities to take tougher action against businesses not complying with lockdown

Municipalities will start cracking down on non-essential stores still selling items during the lockdown, according to Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Grapperhaus.

After the weekly meeting with all of the Dutch security regions, Grapperhaus explained that “We see that some retail stores find it difficult to comply with the rules.”

Non-essential shops are not permitted to open yet many businesses have still been finding ways to circumvent the lockdown measures.

Grapperhaus says that non-essential businesses don’t have a license to sell anything. However, in some cities, vendors set up stalls in front of the business to sell to customers outside, or permit customers to enter one by one.

“In a number of places the rules are very creative,” said Nijmegen mayor Bruls, chairman of the Security Council.

What is allowed

Businesses selling food or coffee to-go are permitted to stay open but according to Bruls, municipalities should watch out for outlets attracting too many visitors. “The mulled wine route is on the edge.”

Only essential business such as supermarkets, pharmacies, pet food stores, and petrol stations are allowed to remain open.

What do you think of these non-essential shops selling items in spite of the lockdown measures? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Feature Image: Buggagi/Pixabay 

1...547548549...742Page 548 of 742