Dutch Designer Daan Roosegaarde, has been working with a team of technicians and experts to create a lighting installation that can kill harmful bacteria and virus particles in the air — coronavirus included.
The light, named the “Urban Sun”, may then be installed in public spaces where people could meet each other in a virus-free environment.
The designer and his team have been working on the creation of the “Urban Sun” for almost a year now and hopes to unveil the first of its kind in January 2021.
The “Urban Sun” installation will emit a specific light called UV-C light in the wavelength of 222nm. This is a wavelength that is not dangerous for humans, however, studies have found that this type of light can kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses in the air.
A slightly higher wavelength of UV-C light is currently used as a disinfectant for objects and rooms however, this is too dangerous for humans and therefore cannot be used in public spaces with people.
With Roosegarde’s design, a lower wavelength means that the light will be safe to use in spaces where people gather.
“Our Urban Sun inspires safer social encounters, and makes public spaces cleaner from the coronavirus to bring human well-being” Studio Roosegaarde writes on their website.
The studio has not announced when exactly the instillation will become available or where it will be first installed although the promotion video suggests that it may be used in both indoor and outdoor public spaces.
Are you excited about the “Urban Sun”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Having spent more time indoors in response to the coronavirus measures, the Dutch, like the rest of the world, have naturally had some extra time on their hands. It is no surprise, then, that certain Google searches, questions and trends have dominated the internet during this bizarre year.
While 80% of Dutch Google searches were coronavirus-related, more specialised questions like “wat is een lockdown” also featured strongly, according to the Google trends’ “Year in Search 2020” release.
In an attempt to expand their worldview, learn something new or satisfy their curiosity, the Dutch also spent time asking Google less pandemic-related questions.
Below is a countdown of the 10 questions most asked by the Dutch from Google’s ‘Year in Search 2020’ results.
For two weeks at the end of May 2020, international interest in the arrest and subsequent death of George Floyd in America captured Dutch attention. Those living in Utrecht had a particularly strong interest in this news as data shows that this region asked about Floyd the most.
At the same time as interest in George Floyd captivated (mostly Utrecht) Dutch, regions like Limburg were more engrossed in the breeding of minks.
While the interest is understandable (what with minks being cute, dark-coloured semi-aquatic mammals with sweet faces), the popularity of this search is a rather strange leap from concerns of the unrest in America happening at the same time.
Again with the animal infatuation! Although delight in the phenomena of a sloth’s movements is a fair concern for many animal-lovers, this frequently asked question dominated Gelderland and North Holland’s Google searches from April 5-11. Unusual, indeed.
Waarom speelt Ajax met rouwband?
Why is Ajax playing with a mourning band?
Something happened between the 18th and 24th of October with the much-loved and successful Dutch Football club,AFC Ajax. The footballers wore mourning bands around their arms in the game in respect and reflection of the death of Dutch association football coach, Tonny Bruins Slot.
Bruins Slot, who had been suffering from health problems, died on November 1 2020 at the age 73. This explains the AFC Ajax team wearing mourning bands during their game on November 3 against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League.
Waarom zijn er zoveel (COVID-19) doden in Italië?
Why are there so many (COVID-19) deaths in Italy?
In March, interest in the coronavirus-related deaths in Italy was a concern to many Dutch, mostly because of the early lockdown measures in Italy.
According to WHO statistics, the Coronavirus deaths in Italy increased by more than nine times in ten days, from 366 on March 8 to more than 5,400 on March. No wonder the Dutch were concerned, scary stuff indeed!
Waarom is de lucht blauw?
A very wholesome question. Image: Skitterphoto/Pexels
Why is the Sky blue?
Ah, the familiar question asked by children everywhere!
North Brabant had a particularly strong investment in this answer, and trends show that this search has dominated google (and continues to do so) since January!
Waarom heet het coronavirus?
Why is it called Coronavirus?
Fair question indeed and at number four on the Dutch’s most Googled questions. This question ruled the web in March 2020, particularly in North Holland and Overijssel. According to the CDC, in COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for the disease.
This question was asked the most during the 12 – 18 of April. This could be in preparation for the celebration of the upcoming birthday of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, who was born on April 27 1967.
Waarom hamsteren we WC-papier?
Why [do people] hoard toilet paper?
As the runner-up to the most searched question in the Netherlands on google in 2020, this question is a very valid one! From March 8 – 14, the Dutch (and indeed, the whole world!) must have been very curious as to why toilet paper was going out of stock so quickly. The choice of hoarding toilet paper, as opposed to food and perishables, remains a peculiar one!
You have to love the Dutch! If the result of the most Googled question in 2020 didn’t make you laugh, what will?!
In the midst of an international pandemic, political and economic uncertainty and unprecedented government-mandated lockdowns, the Dutch were obviously very concerned with the reason for the existence of cornflakes. Towards the end of 2020, interest in the pandemic must have been wavering, because most of the country decided to ask Google about cornflakes, of all things!
So there you go: the most Googled questions in 2020 are bound to cheer you up and restore your faith in the ever-surprising Dutch nation.
Were you surprised by any of these questions? What would you add to the list? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
A group of Leiden University students, our very own neighbours here at PLNT, just won an award for their new disease detection system!
The detection kit, inspired by the coronavirus pandemic, can be adapted to test for multiple respiratory diseases. Should their design go into mass production, a base kit could be on standby world-wide if another pandemic were to ever break out (but don’t get any ideas 2021). This would completely change the way we deal with future pandemics on a global scale.
Well done neighbours for winning the iGem (International Genetically Engineered Machine) award! This is an international competition, originating from MIT, for students who use synthetic biology to create new products and services in the environmental and health spheres.
The best thing about this test kit is that it’s fast — you can have a positive or negative result for a disease within an hour. All it takes is a simple nasal swab, explained Biomedical Science student Amber Schonk.
But the students’ design can act as a base for all kinds of disease tests. Lucy Chong explained that the kit can be adjusted for diseases which require blood and saliva samples too. But for now, they’re focusing on respiratory diseases which, as we have seen with the coronavirus, spread much quicker.
The fundamental importance of such a base kit is the time it saves us when it comes to containing the virus in the early stages of its spread. Rather than building new test kits from scratch for every new disease that pops up, this on-hand kit can quickly be adjusted to detect new viruses before they spread too far.
A diagram of the device. Image: Leiden University Students/Supplied
The speed of the test comes down to an all-together new way of approaching disease tests. Rather than detecting the antibodies that our bodies produce in reaction to a virus, this kit detects the DNA of the virus itself. Since it can take time for our bodies to react to an infection, by detecting the virus’ DNA instead, this allows for much faster results.
How the coronavirus inspired their project
The Leiden-based students were deciding on projects to pursue around February this year, just as the coronavirus was spreading. Rather than trying to compete with large global companies that would be creating tests for the coronavirus, the students saw a more long-term gap that they could help fill. Seeing that the key to stopping a pandemic in its early stages was speedy testing, they developed an idea that would help better prepare our world for future pandemics.
Winning this award is certainly not the end of the students’ journey, nor does it guarantee that the project will be realized on a practical level. The team will soon be meeting with experts on diagnostics to improve upon their current model, and are looking into developing the hardware of the device, explained Tim van den Akker. If all goes well, the team hopes to have a physical product ready that can be distributed globally.
The Netherlands is falling behind in the race to vaccinate when compared with its neighbour, Germany. Whilst Germans will begin to receive their vaccinations the day after Christmas, Dutch residents could be waiting a while longer.
Germany began setting up a coronavirus vaccination plan for its residents back in November with the “National Imf Strategy.” However, in the Netherlands, a vaccination plan — if there is any — will not become available to the public until next week.
Dutch hesitance
When speaking with RTL Nieuws, Hanco Jürgens of the German Institute of the University of Amsterdam described the Dutch approach to the vaccination process as more “hesitant.” He went on to say that the difference in timing between the two countries is quite large.
“It will certainly be in order in the Netherlands by March, when mass vaccinations can really take place. But the difference between Germany and the Netherlands at the moment is really a bit unbelievable.”
I blew my Dutch colleagues mind when I told them the vaccination centers in my German hometown are already under construction and vaccination will start the day of european approval. I don’t know how the Dutch government can be so relaxed about this.
As part of the process of getting ready to roll out coronavirus vaccines, Germany developed a plan back in November with a division of tasks between the sixteen federal states. Part of this plan involved the construction of “sixty centers with cooling systems from which the vaccines will be distributed” Jürgens said.
He does not find the prospect of a similar response by the Netherlands to be promising.”It may also be in order in the Netherlands, but we don’t know. I find that worrisome. Especially when we look at how things went with the test streets, for example.”
We kunnen dus niet de dag na goedkeuring vaccin beginnen met vaccineren. Want er is nog extra voorbereidingstijd nodig. En dat hadden we niet al maanden geleden kunnen voorzien. Maar dat is niet erg, want wat maken een paar weken nou uit.
Is dat de boodschap?
Jürgen goes on to compare Health Minister Hugo De Jonge and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. De Jonge has emphasised the need to be careful when approaching a plan to vaccinate the Netherlands.
“In the Netherlands, Minister Hugo de Jonge of Public Health and the GGDs say that carefulness is more important than haste. But in Germany, care and haste are almost two sides of the same coin.”
Germany in better shape
With so much uncertainty surrounding when and how exactly the Dutch government will begin its process of vaccination against coronavirus, Jürgens admits that the Netherlands does not fair well in comparison to its German neighbours. “Indeed you can say at the moment that the Germans are in better shape than the Dutch.”
Vaccinations for Dutch residents are expected to begin in January with vulnerable groups expected to be the first recipients. However, whether this is actually plausible is uncertain.
In case you missed it: if you’re Dutch, don’t get your hopes up for that vaccine.
Depressing not just as it’s depressing,but because it was wholly predictable. The January vaccination pledge was always absurd, but as usual they got away with making it. Over-promise, under-deliver https://t.co/TZhJKGhmEW
Imagine a new, architectural Living Bridge stretching across the river IJ, teeming with greenery and filled with stunning apartments, while creating an interconnected pathway encircling Amsterdam’s historic centre. Amsterdammers lazily cycle by, people peer through their windows at the skyline and the water, and the city’s traffic issues? Solved (or at least somewhat relieved).
It sounds idyllic, extravagant, but it is achievable. At least, according to a design proposed to the Amsterdam municipality by architect Dominik Philipp Bernatek that has since received international attention.
The Green Loop Amsterdam aims to solve the major issues of the city by creating a stunning 16 kilometre long looped park around the centre, connected by a Living Bridge.
Whew, imagine cycling this after a day in Amsterdam! Image: Dominik Philipp Bernatek/Supplied
“It transforms all large parks close to the city centre into one structure, supporting bicycle mobility, animal migration, biodiversity, and welfare,” explains architect Dominik Philipp Bernátek. “The new amount of greenery reduces urban heat significantly and provides a rain buffer for the historic city.”
Bernátek compares the Green Loop to a newer, greener version of the old city walls, “a statement for Amsterdam’s future-oriented values.”
And the location? Potentially ideal. A vision document from Amsterdam’s Advisory Committee for Connections recognised the need for a bicycle loop around the city. The documents also identified the prime spot for a connection as being between Azartplein and the North. The Living Bridge mirrors both of these findings.
“The new cross-river connections are not primarily there for tourists, but just for the daily users of the city, who increasingly live along the inner ring and travel to work,” says the document.
Bridge over the river IJ
One of the major problems the Green Loop attempts to solve is the lack of direct transport options for residents of Amsterdam Noord and the city centre, who currently rely on ferries. Yet, skyrocketing population growth in the area has made congestion an increasing problem.
Unreal. Image: Dominik Philipp Bernatek/Supplied
The municipality has been stuck in a tug-of-war over whether to build a tunnel under the river IJ, or a bridge over it, for years. But, what makes this design different is it’s not just a bridge: Living Bridge Amsterdam takes a bridge and combines it with housing, bicycle paths and parkland.
According to Bernátek, this will make crossing the river an experience for the everyday Amsterdammer, and a new attraction for the city. But is it financially feasible? Bernátek says a cost-benefit analysis would actually profit Amsterdam 200 million euros. We’ll repeat again: profit. That’s right: the Green Loop would also have a green budget.
Apartments with a view
One thing we just can’t get over is the incredible apartments that line the Green Loop. How can you have greenery and apartments? It’s all part of the clever design that sees the apartments gently slope up, creating two levels with an additional layer of parkland on top. That means public space, on top of private space.
Meanwhile, the apartments boast jaw-dropping views over the river IJ, and can transition from public to private terraces seamlessly through the use of panels, ensuring privacy for the occupants.
Where do we sign for one of these views? Image: Dominik Philipp Bernatek/Supplied
Will it be easy to bike over?
We know the Dutch aren’t a fan of hills, and let’s be honest — we prefer arriving at our destination with minimum sweat. Thankfully, Bernátek says it was important for him to consider this in his design. “For me as an architect it is important to give people freedom of choice in how to cross,” he told DutchReview.
The form of the bridge promises a gentle and ‘comfortable’ biking slope, but as an even easier option, there is also an elevator that can be taken to the rooftop for a completely flat experience.
Boat traffic will still be able to pass underneath, but an allowance has been made for the bridge to open in the middle if required. Thankfully, the design of the bridge means it should rarely occur — that’s great news for anyone who has ever experienced the exasperation of waiting for a bridge to close!
Could it make Amsterdam a city from the future?
From our perspective (as non-city planners, to be fair), the project shows a lot of promise – and it looks incredible. While we think Amsterdam is a super good-looking city on its own, the addition of greenery and easing of congestion is something we’re massively in favour of. Besides, we can afford one of those snazzy apartments on a writers salary, right?
What do you think of the proposed Green Loop around Amsterdam and over the river IJ? Could it solve Amsterdam’s problems? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Feature Image: Dominik Philipp Bernatek
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in January 2020, but was fully updated in December 2020 for your reading pleasure.
The Province of Drenthe lies like a mysterious, empty middle pocket in the centre of the Netherlands, often overlooked by both tourists and even Dutch nationals alike. Almost no one visits.
It’s no wonder Drenthe is where you’ll stumble across the iconic hunebedden, the huge, grey stone burial chambers built amidst the bogs and peat by ancient tribesmen as early as 3000 BC, structures which predate even Stonehenge in England.
As legend proclaims, the prehistoric giants peacefully repose here. But sleepy Drenthe is also known for something much more modern and infinitely more sinister: the Westerbork concentration camp, from whose gates more than 100,000 Jews – including a Dutch girl named Anne Frank – were deported from the Netherlands to their deaths during World War II.
Sleepy Drenthe is also known for something much more modern and infinitely more sinister: the Westerbork concentration camp. Image: Alex Foster
Westerbork is a story few know and fewer actually visit. It’s a part of Dutch history which is so sad and so horrific than even Dutch citizens hardly ever go – and, since even fewer international tourists discover Westerbork, even the small museum’s exhibits are explained only in Dutch, not even English.
About Westerbork concentration camp
I went to Westerbork last summer. It was not easy to find. It’s outside the small Drenthe town of Beilen, which is one train stop south of Assen. There were no road signs or tourist markers or easy-to-follow directions. It’s solemn and quiet and slightly depressing.
When you arrive, you pull into a small parking lot with a modest, unpretentious museum and restaurant at the camp’s far boundary. You are told it’s either a long walk or a shuttle bus ride to the actual camp and you’re given a time when the next shuttle leaves.
While you wait, there is a small museum dedicated to an overview of the Holocaust, the story of Westerbork and a focus on the Anne Frank story as a microcosm of the nearly complete destruction of the Dutch Jews. Almost everyone knows Anne’s tragic life, how she and her family and a small group of friends hid in a secret annex in Amsterdam on the Prinsengracht, hiding for almost 2 years in a secret attic hideaway.
But Westerbork tells the next chapter in Anne’s life, one which almost no one knows: her brief stay at Westerbork before being transported to her ultimate death at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany in 1945.
Image: Alex Foster
The museum seems tired and depressed in its own way, sort of like a 1950s museum which has never been updated. Despite the tired presentation, these are powerful exhibits because the subject matter is so powerful; you’ll see artefacts recovered from the camp, testimonials from survivors, and photographs and exhibits depicting camp life.
It’s a very old-fashioned and worn down museum, and all of the audio and signage is in Dutch. Fortunately, I understand rudimentary Dutch, but I felt dissatisfied with the presentation; my Dutch friend opined that maybe it’s a museum ONLY for the Dutch and not for those who aren’t fluent in the Dutch language. Luckily, there is an accompanying bookstore which has a variety of books in both Dutch and English, including copies of Anne Frank’s iconic diary.
Despite not being able to read or grasp the full story, it’s clear that the story here is beyond grim. It’s unimaginable. But true. What happened here is so awful it tests the boundaries of human understanding.
Image: Alex Foster
A historical recap:
Westerbork concentration camp was, ironically, constructed by the Dutch government in 1939 as a haven for a tidal wave of German Jews fleeing the rising tide of antisemitism in Germany and the ultimate grasping of power by the Nazis which precipitated World War II. While almost all of the original buildings are now gone, you can still get a sense of the boundaries, the square grid layout of the barrack type buildings and the railroad tracks leading to death – one line in, one line out – haven’t changed.
When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in May of 1940, they found another grisly use for Westerbork: a prison camp for Jews and other “undesirables.” In 1942, Westerbork became the way-station to death, the place where Dutch Jews who were victimized by the Nazis were assembled in the remote countryside of Drenthe before being transported on fatal train rides to death camps deep into Eastern Europe such as Auschwitz in Poland.
Image: Alex Foster
What to expect at Westerbork?
A long walk, or short bus ride, leads you to the concentration camp itself down the road. And, while almost all of the original buildings have been dismantled and are now gone, there are several original structures set up as monuments or landmarks along the way to give visitors a sense of when Westerbork flourished.
Now, this is a very ominous ghost town. You learn that Anne Frank and her family were designated upon arrival to reside in the “Punishment Barracks,” and in your mind, you can hardly process what the term “punishment” means in the context of a Nazi concentration camp. But, she survived what must have been a truly horrifying experience and, with her sister, endured Westerbork only to await even grimmer future experiences after leaving.
You’ll see outlines of buildings designated as workshops where Dutch Jews were virtual slaves and the Kommandant’s house is preserved – enclosed in glass like a greenhouse, a testament to evil.
Next to this house are informational signs, like billboards, enlarged photos of the various commanders of Westerbork with a synopsis of their various evil deeds, including one smiling, blonde commander who personally executed several hundred prisoners with his handgun. Yes, I said several hundred. It is hard to absorb.
Other monuments include the twisted railroad tracks leaving the camp toward Poland, and a huge memorial of small stones representing the thousands of individual victims who came and went, never to return. And, always, you are aware of the threatening barbed-wire enclosures which surround you and symbolize the feeling of entrapment.
One lone representative guard tower looms, a monument to oppression, and visitors today can only use their imagination to try to feel what it must have been like to be a prisoner at Westerbork concentration camp, the terror, the hopelessness, the fear.
Image: Alex Foster
The Aftermath
Most tourists come to happy Holland to cruise the canals on a tour boat, or view the glorious tulip fields at Kuekenhof, or enjoy the iconic works of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh in amazing museums and art galleries. The Netherlands is such a beautiful, tolerant and peaceful place. It’s why I keep coming back, year after year. Ik hou van Nederlands!
But, even in the sunny tolerance and peacefulness of this wonderful land, it’s important to understand the full history and appreciate the good days we currently have. The Westerbork concentration camp is such a place. We must never forget that. Tot ziens!
As of March 2021, those who are vaccinated against the coronavirus in the Netherlands will receive a vaccination certificate. This will be in the form of downloadable data connected to your DigiD.
The database of those who are vaccinated will already be in place at the end of this month, reports NOS. But from March, you will be able to log into your DigiD account to access proof of your vaccination.
Monitoring side effects
From the very first injection, the RIVM will be using the DigiD system to monitor any side effects that people may potentially have from the vaccine, as well as the vaccination rate. Keeping track of who still needs a second dose will also be clearer using this system.
Healthcare workers
From the beginning of January, 225,000 healthcare workers around the Netherlands will be vaccinated. After three weeks they will receive their second injection, but then it will still be some time before their vaccination certificates are ready.
Extra Pfizer doses in vaccine bottles
Meanwhile, the American drug watchdog FDA has confirmed that some bottles of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine contain more doses than was originally intended, reports RTL Nieuws. The Netherlands is expected to receive 500,000 doses of the vaccine in the beginning of January.
One bottle should contain five doses, but some pharmacists found enough for six or even seven doses in a single bottle. This means up to 40% more people could potentially be vaccinated against the coronavirus with the current vaccines available than was initially expected.
How do you feel about having your personal vaccination data kept online? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Following an extremely busy weekend at Schiphol, which saw travellers unable to practice social distancing, all flights to holiday destinations have been cancelled. The Dutch government has now been left to consider whether a complete flight ban should be brought in for the Netherlands.
Crowds of people could be seen standing shoulder to shoulder at check-in desks in recent footage that has emerged from Schiphol airport. As a result, the decision has been made to cancel all holiday flights.
The travel status for the entire world has also now been changed to code Orange, meaning travel to any country must be deemed as necessary. The Prime Minister is also now considering a total flight ban but this will only be a last resort as the decision would also affect freight traffic.
This is Schiphol airport, Amsterdam. Anyone surprised that Dutch infection rates are rising again? pic.twitter.com/36rdOHxcVu
Travel agencies are following the advice of the government and have cancelled all flights to holiday destinations such as the Canary Islands and Antilles. Anyone who is already at these destinations will be able to finish their holiday, TUI tells the NOS.
Director of Schipol: only fly if necessary
The Director of Schiphol Airport, Dick Benschop, has also asked that travellers only travel by plane if it is absolutely necessary. “We do everything advised. I urge everyone to follow the advice and only fly when necessary.”
He explained to the NOS that the crowds that were witnessed in Schiphol on Saturday could be explained but that he would not offer an explanation as “that sounds like an excuse and that is not the point. If something like this happens you have to learn from it.”
A form for necessity of trip
The Minister for Travel, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen was left “disappointed and angry” by the crowds at Schiphol, the NOS reports, and is now considering implementing a system through which travellers must fill out a form stating why their trip is necessary. She outlined her plan in a letter to the Lower House:
“I am investigating whether it is possible to introduce a statement in which travelers indicate whether it concerns a necessary trip. Your House will be informed about this early next year.”
If this is implemented early next year, it is expected that it will at first apply to travellers who wish to travel from the Netherlands. What exactly such a statement will look like and when it must be filled out, has not yet been determined.
Transfers at Schiphol
Whether or not this new travel advice will affect passengers who are only transferring at Schiphol, must now be discussed.
Benschop has said that the airport is now taking extra measures to ensure the safety of its passengers.
Will a potential flight ban affect you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
Anybody else needing some feel-good vibes? This heartwarming video from students to their teacher should do the trick.
Conrad Berghoef, a Dutch teacher at an ROC in Drachten (Friesland), was at a loss for words when his students surprised him with thank-you signs en masse.
He shared the touching video on Twitter with the caption:
“Me: ‘Did they fucking turn that camera off again? I don’t feel like it today.’
Class: ‘We are going to surprise Conrad.’
Me: …….”
Ik: 'hebben ze verdorie weer die camera uit? Ik heb al geen zin vandaag.'
Berghoef followed it up with, “And to make it even better: they said beforehand ‘please record the lesson because there is no such and such’. They thought I would like to see this again.”
Big response
Teaching online for months on end can be exhausting, and Berghoef’s students showed that they recognise and appreciate his efforts.
The video has received a huge response, with comments such as, “You became a trending topic today. A ray of hope between all gloomy and angry tweets. Thanks!”
“You can’t get a bigger and better compliment! Whoever does good receives good …. Beautiful!”
And just, “Splendid.”
What do you think of this gesture by the students? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
In an abrupt decision this afternoon, the cabinet has announced that the rules for “essential” stores are being tightened. This is bad news for the retail chains HEMA and Action, who have just re-opened their doors with modifications, reports NOS.
Apparently, the modifications didn’t gain the government’s approval. Only shops that sell mainly food products, drugstore items, and pet food may remain open, the cabinet clarified this afternoon.
What’s essential
According to the cabinet’s restrictions, “essential” applies to stores that generate more than 70% of their sales from essential products. This applies to specific branches, rather than the company as a whole.
The cabinet had initially planned to allow for stores to open that get more than 30% of their turnover from essential items. This was under the stipulation that they close off the other parts of the store. But today, much to the dismay of HEMA and Action fans, this exception has expired.
According to Minister Grapperhaus, “if you sell half of the dresses and trousers and the other half sausages, then you are not allowed to open.”
What do you think of the cabinet’s decision? Should stores like Action and HEMA be allowed to remain open? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
