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Wilders’ tweet about non-Western corona patients sparks anger

Emily Burger
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Wilders’ tweet about non-Western corona patients sparks anger

Geert Wilders of the PVV has been at the centre of controversy for years over his views on foreigners in the Netherlands. It seems regarding the pandemic, this is no different.

In a Tweet yesterday, the politician claimed that the treatment of “Henk and Ingrid” are being delayed because the ICU beds are filled with “Mohammed and Fatima, who do not speak our language and do not care about the rules.”

The Tweet was in response to a statement made by Armand Girbes, head of the IC department of the Amsterdam VUmc. Girbes believes that the majority of corona patients in the Randstad are of non-Western origins. “If you look at the differences and similarities with the first wave,” he said, “it is striking that we now mainly have patients with a non-Western background, which also means that they do not speak the Dutch language completely.”

“Racist shit”: criticisms of Wilders

PvdA leader Asscher called Wilders’ tweet “racist shit”, saying it was creating divisions in the hospitals. “Every day Henk, Ingrid, Mohammed and Fatima are working hard in our hospitals,” Asscher tweeted in response to Wilders. The CDA was also disappointed by the statements, and wondered how this would go on to affect young people.

D66 party leader Jetten called for the PVV to find solutions, such as communicating coronavirus information in Arabic and Polish. Wilders replied that he does not intend to do that, saying that those who do not speak Dutch have no business being in the Netherlands.

SP MP Karabulut says that Wilders is only sowing division and fear, whilst bringing no solutions to the the table. “Racism is not a cure for COVID-19. You know that very well.”

Van den Berge of GroenLinks said Wilders is using the unprecedented health crisis to instill division, and asked Wilders if he was suggesting that Dutch people with a migration background are not entitled to medical assistance. “Horrible. My stomach turns. Stomach ache. Every time he crosses a new line.”

Politicizing corona

According to NOS, this is the first time that the origins of corona patients has been explicitly used in the debate on controlling the virus. “This is also polarizing the corona approach and will create more divisions,” NOS reporter Ron Fresen said.

The reporter explains that the relatively large amount of infected migrants has been recognized in politics. While Wilders may use this to push his anti-immigration ideas, other parties are more on board with developing targeted information in multiple languages.

What do you make of all this? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Peter van der Sluijs/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0

New measures coming tomorrow, lockdown unlikely

Brin Andrews
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New measures coming tomorrow, lockdown unlikely

Today, the cabinet is working on new coronavirus measures, which will be announced at tomorrow night’s press conference. It’s anticipated that the primary objectives will be to limit people’s travel and contact, rather than enter into a new intelligent lockdown.

Over the past month, the number of new coronavirus cases in the Netherlands has been soaring. New policy and measures are needed, and the cabinet has been holding discussions about how to slow the rate of infection. The new package of measures has two primary aims: to further limit people’s contact with one another and to minimise travel, reports RTL Nieuws based on insider information.

Will these measures be effective?

The last new measures announced included a face mask obligation and limited hours for restaurants and bars, but that hasn’t been enough. Yesterday, the RIVM reported 6,378 new coronavirus infections. Compared to other countries, the Netherlands is doing poorly when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus.

Chairman of the Dutch Association for Intensive Care, Diederik Gommers, says a complete lockdown is necessary. “Those measures have not proven to be adequate,” he tells AD. “The intention was to flatten the curve. That has not worked yet.” 

Calls for a full lockdown

Gommers is very much in favour of entering a full lockdown as soon as possible. He says tougher measures are needed, otherwise, nothing will change. “As far as I’m concerned, things can be done a little faster in a crisis like this.” 

He doesn’t understand why the cabinet hasn’t taken tighter or stricter measures. “Tighter measures definitely have economic consequences, but so does this semi-soft [policy]. Because it is not effective and it now takes longer.” 

What would a full lockdown mean?

The partial lockdown the Netherlands saw in the early months of the pandemic meant staying home as much as possible and not attending restaurants or sports clubs. But the full lockdown that Gommers calls for would be more similar to the earlier policies in Spain and Italy — including strict rules for shopping and going to work, and not being on the street without an approved reason.

Tomorrow’s press conference will reveal the government’s plans, but all signs indicate that a lockdown in any form is unlikely.

Do you think a lockdown is necessary for the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Gustavo Fring/Pexels

Dutch tourists steal Greek bus for joyride, hold naked dance party

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Dutch tourists steal Greek bus for joyride, hold naked dance party

What did you do with your weekend? If it was anything other than drunkenly stealing a bus for a wild joyride on a Greek island, dancing naked, then getting arrested, it was probably more respectful than these guys. 

A group of 10 to 13 Dutch tourists decided to take the party to a whole other level last Thursday morning when they stole a bus used for public transport on the island of Poros.

On their surely exhilarating two laps around the island, the group busted out to what we’re sure were some truly bangin’ tunes and decided that clothes were now optional. Dance like nobody’s watching, right?

Unfortunately (for them), someone did end up watching: a security guard who reported the group to the police. Law enforcement stopped the bus, but only managed to catch and arrest the driver. The rest of the group made a slippery escape through the bus windows and door.

The driver has since been released but will head to Dutch court next week, report Greek media. Luckily for the driver, the bus wasn’t damaged. Unluckily for the driver, they, you know, took a stolen bus for a joyride with their closest naked friends.

Wish you were on board with these Dutch partiers? Or pleased as punch that they got caught? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: Neil Aitkenhead/Wikimedia Commons/CC3.0

Train conductor assaulted after asking travellers without masks and tickets to disembark

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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0
Train conductor assaulted after asking travellers without masks and tickets to disembark

A 28-year-old train conductor was attacked last night after he asked passengers travelling without face masks and tickets to get off at the next stop. 

When asked to disembark, the passengers became confrontational and circled around the conductor. One passenger spat in his face.

Once the train arrived at the next stop, Haarlem Spaarnwoude, the conductor disembarked along with the passengers. Three of the suspects then began to assault him on the platform.

Its is reported that the victim was head-butted, beaten and threatened before the suspects fled the scene. Police were able to arrest the suspects and take them to the station for questioning.

The suspects include three youths from Amsterdam aged 17, 18 and 23, and one 18-year-old suspect from Voorst.

Enforcing corona measures

A similar event occurred on Tuesday when a bus driver was left with missing teeth after being assaulted for asking a passenger to wear a mask.

As coronavirus cases continue to increase throughout the Netherlands, Dutch residents and retailers have been left confused by the government’s regulations surrounding face masks.

Many supermarkets, for example, do not want to ask their employees to ask customers to wear a face mask as they would have to deal with the potential backlash.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest news and updates. 

Feature Image: Alp Ancel/Unsplash

Netherlands in top 3 EU countries with highest coronavirus infections, receives international scrutiny

Brin Andrews
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5
Netherlands in top 3 EU countries with highest coronavirus infections, receives international scrutiny

The Netherlands is now among the top three countries in the European Union with the highest number of coronavirus infections relative to size, alongside Spain and France. Other EU countries have been surprised by and critical of the Dutch government’s policies.

In early September, the Netherlands was still comparable to its neighbouring countries in terms of relative infections. The drastic uptick in Dutch infections since then has drawn widespread international attention and scrutiny, reports NOS. French newspaper, Le Monde, calls the mention of face masks in the Netherlands, “the subject of a heated discussion.”

Flemish scrutiny

In regard to the idea that infections would not transfer from young people to the older age group, Flemish virologist Marc van Ranst says, “That was nonsense.” He saw the same misconception in Belguim and says, “The virus passes from young people to their parents and then to their grandparents, we see that happening day after day.”

A Norwegian response

Taking steps based on the number of new infections isn’t the solution. Amrish Baidjoe is a field epidemiologist and microbiologist in Norway, where daily infections are six times lower than in the Netherlands. Baidjoe calls the Dutch approach, “steering in the fog.”

He says the Netherlands needs to look at more than just the numbers. “That is an indicator that is good in itself but has the necessary delay.” He says, “It’s difficult to make a policy on the number of positive cases because in the Netherlands we are running up against the limits of test capacity.” At that point, the cabinet may be too late to intervene. The scientist warns, “We need to see the big picture.”

How do you think the Dutch government has handled coronavirus? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Sam Dixon/DutchReview

Where you can travel to this autumn from the Netherlands

Emily Burger
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Where you can travel to this autumn from the Netherlands

The rising corona numbers in the Netherlands has lead to an array of travel rules that can be hard to keep up with. Although now is not really the time for that Euro-trip you were planning, for those who need to visit family or take a corona-safe break somewhere, the question is where are the Dutch now welcome? 

The first step is to check out the Dutch government’s travel advice, so you can see which countries will require you to quarantine when you return.

Yellow means caution, as rules are different to those in the Netherlands so take note of what these rules may be.

Orange means only necessary travel as there are serious risks in this country.

Red means do not travel, as the serious risks in these countries can create life-threatening situations for travelers.

Dutch travel advice October 2, 2020. Image: nederlandwereldwijd.nl/Public Domain

Take note though that the travel advice is not binding, and the way in which you protect your health and the health of others is your responsibility.

European countries keeping the Dutch out

Denmark has tightened its borders against the Dutch, and will now only let you in for a valid reason, such as visiting family. Visiting Hungary is currently not an option at all, as the country is only allowing residents through the borders, reports NOS.

Entry with restrictions

Other countries are allowing the Dutch in so long as they follow certain restrictions. To enter Germany, for example, you must show a recent negative corona test upon arrival. only residents from Zeeland will be allowed to enter without a corona test.

Meanwhile, Belgium has coded parts of the Netherlands (Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, Groningen, Gelderland, Flevoland or Noord-Brabant) as red zones, since the numbers in these areas are so high. According to their system, this means that only necessary travel is recommended from these areas. If you arrive in Belgium from one of these areas, you will be tested upon arrival and will be required to quarantine for seven days.

“You have to keep a close eye on the website of Foreign Affairs,” Mirjam Dresmé of the travel industry organization ANVR tells the NOS. “Even if a country is yellow according to the Dutch authorities, you may not be welcome. Especially if you come from one of the regions with a lot of infections.”

List of European countries and their restrictions for travelers from the Netherlands:

  • Belgium: Travelers must take a corona test upon entry and those from red zones must quarantine for seven days.
  • Denmark: Entry only with valid reason, including family visit.
  • Germany: Mandatory 2 weeks of quarantine (residents of Zeeland excluded) unless you have a negative corona test no older than 48 hours.
  • Hungary: Only residents allowed in.
  • Italy: Mandatory corona test at the airport, unless you have a negative test result from within 72 hours ago.
  • Norway: Mandatory quarantine of 10 days.
  • Poland: No restrictions but you may be checked for symptoms at the border.
  • Spain: Entry only with a health certificate, and no entry to Madrid unless you have a valid reason.
  • Switzerland: Must quarantine for 10 days from entry.
  • United Kingdom: Mandatory quarantine of 14 days. Breaking this rule could result in a fine of about €1,100.
  • Countries without entry restrictions: Austria, Croatia, France, Greece, Portugal, Sweden.

Last minute sun

For those looking to bump up their vitamin D intake, warmer destinations are becoming increasingly limited. “Where we normally offer 120 destinations, these are now only the Portuguese Algarve and Madeira, the Greek Thessaloniki and Curaçao,” a travel agent from TUI said.

Booking last minute has also become the new norm. The travel agency now sees this happening only about two weeks in advance.

Will any of these travel restrictions affect you? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: CardMapr/Unsplash

Hospital staff test positive for coronavirus in Limburg

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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0
Hospital staff test positive for coronavirus in Limburg

Multiple staff members have tested positive for coronavirus at Zuyderland hospital in Geleen and Heerlen, Limburg. So far, 20 staff members have become infected, including three surgeons. 

The source of the outbreaks is still unknown but it has lead to the testing of 180 personnel from the hospital’s operating theatre department. Of those who were tested, 20 members of staff were found to have coronavirus.

“[The staff] were all tested by the GGD Zuid-Limburg after the first sickness report. A source and contact investigation was also carried out,” said chairman of the hospital’s board, David Jongen, to 1Limburg. Those who were infected were sent home from work.

Surgeon in ICU

One of the hospital’s surgeons is currently a patient in his own ICU. However, Jongen has emphasised that there is no indication that the virus was spread from staff to patients. Patients also won’t have to worry about significant delays.

“All emergency care continues as usual. Everything that is needed continues. But of course it is extremely annoying for the patients who are waiting for surgery.”

Not as bad as April

He has also pointed out that while there are currently two operating rooms that have had to be closed due to the outbreak, 17 are still functioning.

The hospital has dealt with far worse situations, such as in April, during which only two operating rooms were functional and 17 were closed.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Feature Image: Piron Guilaume/Unsplash

Pimping your Dutch apartment: creating a gallery wall

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Pimping your Dutch apartment: creating a gallery wall

Welcome to autumn 2020! It doesn’t feel too welcoming though — it’s cold, dark, wet and you’re sitting at home once again because of a pandemic. Looking at these same four walls and getting tired of them? So was I! And since neither I nor the walls were going anywhere I decided to pimp our prominent wall in the living room with a gorgeous gallery display.

I mean, why not make your house pretty? Winter is always an indoorsy situation in the Netherlands and now more than ever it’s important to feel at home in…well, your home. A gallery wall and more art in general in my home were on the top of my list. After many hours of surfing online I discovered Desenio.

Desenio was so friendly to team up with us and bring you this post. That’s great for you, because there’s a nice discount code for DutchReview readers at the end of this article!

They have a gazillion choices of posters which were great to browse through, the option to have them delivered to your house — framed and all — was also handy. But the real game-changer was their option to fiddle around with potential gallery wall setups. Desenio has both ready-made walls if you want to keep the whole project in a certain theme or a wizard which allows you to see how your eye candy of choice plays out with various sizes and setups and see if your weird fantasy actually could turn into something pretty.

Selecting the prints

We couldn’t decide on one theme. I like palm trees, my better half likes forests, and we wanted some abstract art in there and some accents of orange, gold and pink. We wanted a shade of green on that wall and so it had to match with this. We also opted for a mixture of gold and black frames to see if we can get a bit of a luxurious feeling going.

If you want to keep the Dutch touch then they have some options for that as well. Beautiful images of Amsterdam are available, but I’m a Rotterdam boy so I got myself a cartographic image of my hometown. If you’re after a particular print you’re seeing in this article, then scroll down to the bottom to find a nice little list there.

The bottom one behind the indoor palm tree (disclaimer: that closet has never been as clean as it is now)
Image: DutchReview

Setting up a gallery wall

If you search for how to set up a gallery wall then you’ll find more tips than there are bicycles in Amsterdam, so sure, if you have a better plan then go for it. Here’s how we did it. First of all, we matched all the frames with prints, a matter of personal taste — and we might switch some up later.

The second step was grouping them all on the floor to see if they match and how they look together. We ended up with a more foresty/gold vibe on the left and some palm trees and bright graphic prints on the right.

Organising the pictures on our floor. Image: DutchReview/Supplied

Next up, actually hanging them on the wall! We got out the good old hammer and nails for this step. I heard good stories about ‘reusable sticky nails’ and ‘magic tape’, but also had some crappy experiences with some of that magic tape (the experience being: it’s not working and the whole thing comes down).

The end result

You’ve read enough words now, time for some pretty pictures! And because 2020 can always use more cuteness I made sure that Ollie the cat is in a few of them (disclaimer: she was bribed with cat cookies for this one).

Final result. Image: DutchReview/Supplied
Ollie the cat sitting on the couch in front of the framed pictures.
Ollie the cat posing like a pro. Image: DutchReview/Supplied
pot plant and picture frames
Loving the vibes in this corner. Image: DutchReview/Supplied
Want to get one up yourself? If you found a few prints you like on DESENIO they currently have 30% off — AND you can get a further discount of 10% if you use the code DUTCHREVIEW!
But heads up, this code is only valid from now till Monday the 12th of October and doesn’t work for frames ‘handpicked’ and personalised prints.

 

What are your indoor redecorating plans for this winter? Let us know in the comments!

Print list:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (21×30)
Art.nr.: 11973-4
Elegant Flight (30×40)
Art.nr.: 14196-5
Abstract Terracotta (21×30)
Art.nr.: 14327-4
Palm Tree Sunrise (30×40)
Art.nr.: 10934-5
Jazzy Days No2 (30×40)
Art.nr.: 14490-5
Whale in Forest (30×40)
Art.nr.: 10801-5
Woman by Manhattan Bridge (40×50)
Art.nr.: 12030-6
Aperol Spritz Recipe (21×30)
Art.nr.: 2980-4
Rotterdam (30x40cm)
Art.nr.: 8279-5
Lion (30×40)
Art.nr.: 7949-5
Forest Mountain (50×70)
Art.nr.: 8535-8
Green & Gold No2 (21×30)
Art.nr.: 14954-4
Secret Garden (30×40)
Art.nr.: 14222-5
Street of Palm Springs (50×70)
Art.nr.: 10790-8
La Madame Noir (30×40)
Art.nr.: 14186-5
Saturn Space (21×30)
Art.nr.: 14085-4
Peaceful Moments (30×40)
Art.nr.: 14241-5
Vintage Pink Toucans (30×40)
Art.nr.: 14020-5

Nine days into the new coronavirus measures and infections are skyrocketing towards 6,000 a day

Emily Burger
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Nine days into the new coronavirus measures and infections are skyrocketing towards 6,000 a day

A daily count of 5,831 new coronavirus cases were reported to the RIVM this morning. This is 800 more than the previous day’s figures. The past week has seen an average daily count of 4,535 — significantly higher than the previous week’s 2,995.

The situation is getting very serious very fast. Hospitalized corona patients are now at 1070, with 228 of these in ICU, according to National Coordination Center for Patient Distribution (LCPS). This is up by 49 patients compared to yesterday’s 1021.

Deaths

Today, the RIVM recorded 13 people who passed away from corona. Yesterday an alarming 36 were reported. The RIVM now reports an average of 16 deaths per day, up from the previous week’s average of 15 per day.

However, as we’ve come to expect now, these figures are lagging behind real-time as the GGDs continue to be overwhelmed with the demand for testing. Some deaths that took place last week were therefore only officially recorded this week.

Amsterdam hot-zone

The nation’s capitol continues to harbour the highest levels of infection rates, with 440 cases being reported in the last day. Following closely behind are Rotterdam (422) and The Hague (316).

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more news on the coronavirus.

Feature Image: ©JazzIRT/Canva.com

Can you spot Mars?: the planet will be visible from the Netherlands this month

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
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Can you spot Mars?: the planet will be visible from the Netherlands this month

Instead of looking up at the sky every time the latest piece of bad news rolls in this month, let’s spend this time looking out for Mars. The planet will be visible from Dutch soil for the month of October.

Even if you aren’t rolling your eyes towards heaven these past few days, do make sure to take a moment to look upwards, it will be another 15 years before the planet is so close to Earth again.

By close, we mean roughly 62,000,000km away, but it’s still a big deal. The planet will be at its most visible around midnight — perfectly spooky for this time of year.

A star-spangled time of year

Speaking of this time of year, Mars isn’t the only reason to be marvelling at the stars. This month will also see not one, but two full moons — the first having occurred on October 1 and the second expected on October 31. The stars are quite literally aligning for a fantastically spooky halloween this year.

Mars is a welcome addition to the night sky this year with Saturn and Jupiter also being visible for most of 2020.

To get the most out of your stargazing, head to an area of land with the least amount of light pollution possible (if you dare to venture into a field at midnight in October.) And take a moment to remember that in spite of the absolute flaming turd this year has been, you’re just a speck of dust on an insignificant rock.

Will you be heading out to stargaze this October? Let us know in the comments below! 

Feature Image: Sebastian Scheuer/Unsplash

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