After increasing pressure to enforce national rather than regional measures for the coronavirus pandemic, the cabinet is expected to announce new restrictions today for the whole country. These are rumoured to include smaller gatherings, earlier closing times, and no more live football fans. 

For now, it has been decided that the maximum number of people that can meet in a private home (who are not already living together) is four people, inside sources told AD. Furthermore, it has been suggested that public spaces only 30 people will be allowed to congregate, including at restaurants. In outdoor areas, you can apply for a gathering with a maximum of 50 people.

It is expected that all businesses in the catering industry across the Netherlands will have to close at 10pm. Football games will be strictly forbidden to have physically present audiences.

It is being discussed as to whether or not a shopping cart will again be required to enter the grocery store, and special hours will be arranged for vulnerable groups to go buy food, reports NOS.

Regional measures

In addition to the rumoured national measures, new regional measures will be put in place for areas with the highest infection rates. These will be be announced tonight at the cabinet’s press conference.

Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague have the highest cases, and special measures are being designed for these cities. The cabinet is currently debating as to whether travel to these cities should be restricted to necessary travel only. Education in this instance would be classed as necessary.

Masks

Making masks mandatory for professionals who come into contact with other people a lot, such as hairdressers and serving staff, is also being discussed. Many mayors believe the current measures in the catering service need to be extended beyond just masks, saying that people should leave their name and number if they enter a restaurant.

Rutte’s hesitations

With the outbreak of the second wave, cases have been skyrocketing around the country, and the Netherlands is currently one of the biggest hotspots in western Europe. But as much as Rutte and De Jong are working to protect the nation’s health, they are hesitant to enforce anything that could suffocate the struggling economy.

“It’s about dimensions. Measures that are too soft are not an option” a cabinet member told NU.nl. Rutte warns that national measures bring risks to the economy but also to people’s freedoms.

At 7pm this evening, Prime Minister Rutte and Minister De Jonge will hold a press conference and more measures are expected to come.

What do you think of the new coronavirus measures? Let us know in the comments. 

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Coronavirus cases are considerably higher in regions of the Netherlands, Belgium and France compared to other western European nations which have taken stronger measures to contain the virus. 

A total of 950 regions in 11 different countries around the Netherlands were compared in a study by RTL Nieuws’ data journalist Jasper Bunskoek. The 40 Dutch regions are performing terribly.

“An average region currently has about 15 new positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants per week. All Dutch regions are above that,” Bunskoek says. “Amsterdam and The Hague are even among the top 10 most infectious regions in Western Europe.”

Amsterdam in the top ten

Topping the list of cases is the region of Paris, which recently hosted the tour de France. The region is seeing 231 positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants. Ranking 6th out of 950 is Amsterdam, with 194 positive tests per 100,000. Brussels also ranks in the top 10.

Regions with low rates of corona

German regions do not feature at all until number 72 on the list, which is the city of Hamm. Ireland is also experiencing low figures. Both of these countries enforced immediate measures when numbers started rising, such as Ireland’s detailed COVID-19 Framework.

In Germany, action is taken as soon as a region hits 50 per 100,000. Face masks are mandatory in secondary schools, amusement parks are closed and permits are required for gatherings larger than 25. These measures are clearly paying off, as out of 83 million inhabitants, 9,400 Germans have died. But of the 17.4 million Dutch, 6,300 lives have been taken by the virus.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam…

Despite having some of the worst numbers in western Europe, the measures in Amsterdam are not as strict as those in Hamm for example. Experts are begging cabinet to implement mandatory face masks but the Dutch government are reluctant to do so. Rotterdam and Amsterdam experimented with a face mask rule, but this was brought to an end after less than a month.

What do you think of the Dutch cabinet’s management of the coronavirus? Let us know in the comments below. 

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A group of independent experts known as the Red Team is arguing in favour of the implementation of mandatory face masks in the Netherlands. The team of experts offers their advice to the Dutch cabinet.

The group of experts have not clarified in which situations face masks should be made necessary but they have pointed to neighbouring countries rules regarding masks as an example. The group’s advice is supported by the former director of the RIVM, Roel Coutinho.

The Red Team wrote on twitter that in their expert opinions, face masks do offer some help in preventing the spread of coronavirus. “Face masks slow down the spread, ensure that people become ill less quickly and stimulate good behaviour,” the group wrote on Twitter. They also argue that the masks help prevent people who are unaware that they are infected from infecting others.

Why don’t the Netherlands use mouth masks?

The RIVM have been reluctant to introduce mandatory face masks in the Netherlands. They argue that this will lead to a false sense of security among people who meet up and could lead to less social distancing.

Face masks were briefly introduced in Amsterdam and Rotterdam however it was decided to end the experiment. There have also been many arguments surrounding a person’s legal rights, with some law experts saying the implementation of mandatory face masks is just not possible.

Will the experts be listened to?

The group wishes for their advice to be listened to as the cabinet tries to make a decision surrounding further corona measures. They are particularly concerned with the wearing of mouth masks in public spaces where it is not possible to maintain a safe 1.5 meter distance.

“This advice serves to support the decision surrounding whether or not to introduce national mandatory face mask measures: in public indoor spaces and outside when keeping a 1.5 meter distance is insufficient or not possible.”

As coronavirus cases continue to rise, much remains unknown surrounding the implementation of new measures. Whether or not these experts will be listened to, remains to be seen.

How do you feel about the implementation of face masks? Let us know in the comments below!

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Before 2020 started, the Netherlands Bureau for Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) expected more than 21 million tourists to arrive in the Netherlands this year. As it turns out, a third of that amount are now expected. 

This number would have been record-breaking but instead this year has seen the country’s tourism numbers drop significantly. It is expected that instead of 21 million, 7 million people will visit the Netherlands this year.

High hopes for 2020

The year 2020 was meant to be an exceptional year for the Dutch tourism board. This was due to a number of major international events taking place in the Netherlands such as the Eurovision song contest in Rotterdam, the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort and part of the European football championship in Amsterdam.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, large events such as these were cancelled and travel in and out of the Netherlands was restricted for a significant part of the year. As the year continues, any hope of normalcy returning has been taken away again as the Netherlands enters into a second wave of the virus.

Tourism figures as low as they were in the 1990’s

Instead, this year has seen tourism figures similar to those of the 90’s, NBTC director Jos Vranken has told the NOS. He has said that he does not expect the tourism industry to recover until 2024.

The reason for this, he explains, lies not only in the fact that less internationals are holidaying in the Netherlands, but also less Dutch people. More than a third of Dutch people chose not to holiday in the Netherlands this year.

On top of this, the NBTC has said that more than half the people surveyed claimed they would be less likely to go on holiday next year too.

More support for the tourism industry

For this reason, Vranken has said that the tourism industry needs support from the government. “We notice that most people want to book holidays with flexible cancellation options. This has an enormous impact for tourism entrepreneurs. The importance of support measures and targeted investments in sustainable recovery of the tourism sector is therefore great.”

Has corona affected your holiday plans? Let us know in the comments below! 

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In the last week, Finland kicked off their corona-detecting dog project in Helsinki airport with some impressive results. But Schiphol authorities say they’re not currently planning to incorporate sniffer dogs for coronavirus.

Ten dogs in Helsiniki airport are being used to detect coronavirus in arriving passengers, with 90% accuracy, reports RTL Nieuws. They can detect the virus long before those infected show symptoms, and when the virus is only barely present in the body.

Covid-19 dogs started their work today at the Helsinki Airport at arrival hall 2B. Dogs have been trained to detect the coronavirus from the test wipes given by the testperson. Service is voluntary and primarily targeted for passengers arriving from abroad. pic.twitter.com/ieMLm0KuZY

— Helsinki Airport (@HelsinkiAirport) September 22, 2020

But Hotsche Luik of the Scent Detection Academy Gelderland, says bringing in sniffer dogs to Dutch airports is a complicated process. Her company is the only one in the Netherlands which trains dogs to track diseases in people. “Our labradors, herders and beagles, detect all kinds of cancers and diseases such as diabetes and epilepsy,” says Luik, “and I can also train our dogs to detect corona.”

The issue with training the dogs

The problem is that to do this, many things need to fall in place. First, safe samples of the virus would need to become available to her from laboratories or medical specialists, says Luik. This could be in the form of a blood, sweat, or urine sample.

It would then take about two months to train the dogs to recognise the smell of the virus. Once they are trained, rules would need to be determined as to how they may be used safely.

“In short: there is a lot to consider afterwards,” says Luik. “But I think that dogs can definitely make a valuable contribution to tackling corona.”

Schiphol not intending to use dogs

A spokesperson for Schiphol airport explained that there are currently no plans in place to implement sniffer dogs, and that this is not up to them anyway. They are waiting for more regional measures to be put in place.

Instead, Schiphol authorities favour the international testing approach, in which passengers get tested before taking the flight to Holland. “We are in favor of all passengers being tested in advance before boarding the aircraft. Just as baggage is tested before it enters the aircraft. This testing can be done in various ways, as long as it is safe and reliable. Whether with a cotton swab, temperature checks or special dogs.”

With Schiphol’s testing street now gone, they are effectively relying on the testing systems of other nations to ensure corona-safe entry into the Netherlands.

Corona dogs abroad

In the meantime, other nations are following suite with Finland and are developing their own pilot sniffer dogs. Great Britain has directed large subsidies toward this project, and dogs in the USA and the French island of Corsica are also being trained to smell the virus.

Should Schiphol airport bring in corona dogs? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Yesterday evening, hundreds of Willem II supporters gathered in a square in Tilburg to watch the match against Rangers FC. Theo Wetering, the mayor of Tilburg, allowed this gathering which videos show did not adhere to coronavirus measures at all.

In the video below, you’ll see the fans huddled up close, singing and yelling with no masks on at all. Some were even throwing fireworks, reports NU.nl.

Video: Willem II supporters voorafgaand aan de wedstrijd tegen Rangers vanavond! 24.09.2020! (Europa League) #willemII #ultrassnl #ultras #wilran #tilburg #EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/md5qy2Exmu

— Ultrassnl (@ultrassnl) September 24, 2020

Fans were banned from watching the game live at the Koning Willem II Stadium on the Goirleseweg in Tilburg, for the purpose of keeping coronavirus measures. But the municipality gave permission for a large screen to be set up in the square, so that up to 1000 fans could watch the game together. They were given instructions to keep a safe distance, but of course it did not take long for the rowdy bunch to group together.

Despite the fans’ behaviour — which presented an obvious coronavirus risk — Wetering defended his decision, saying, “If you don’t allow it, you run the risk that supporters will manifest themselves in different places in the city. By having them watch the game together in a square, it is all easier to control and enforce it. It was a conscious choice.”

Losses and lessons

In the end though, the mayor admits that the gathering was for nothing as the Tilburg team lost 0-4 to the Scottish club Rangers FC and are now out of the tournament.

“With the knowledge of now and the information we still get from the police, we will certainly look back next week, evaluate and draw our lessons,” Wetering told Omroep Brabant.

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A rapid testing street has been set up in Utrecht by UMC researchers. It is a trial test street where people will undergo both a normal corona test and a rapid test. The researchers want to see how reliable a rapid test is. 

Normally, coronavirus tests involve the testing of a person’s genetic material. This is called a PRC test, and it is used to test for the genetic material of the virus. Researchers use this test because it is the most likely to pick up on the coronavirus even if it is only slightly present in the body.

However, the problem with PRC testing is the time it takes to receive a result. The process through which the result is received takes an average of 5 hours. With the GGD under immense pressure at the moment, research into rapid testing is needed. A rapid test only takes 15 minutes to yield a result.

Rapid testing

It is hoped by researchers that a rapid test can be used to determine quickly whether or not a person definitely has the virus. If a person has large amounts of the virus within their body, then they will test positive. If the result is unclear or it is believed the person was exposed to coronavirus but they tested negative — then they will still receive the PRC test.

The type of rapid testing being used by researchers in Utrecht is an antigen test. The test looks for a specific protein that is present in the coating of the virus.

The test acts like a pregnancy test, patients are swabbed as with the PRC test, but droplets from the collected sample are then placed on a USB-like device. A patch on the device will then turn a certain colour if the coronavirus protein is present.

Hopeful that rapid testing can be used

Experts are hopeful about the use of rapid testing. It is already known that rapid tests are less sensitive to the virus but it is believed they will still help. The test street in Utrecht is hoping to determine from where it is best to collect a sample. The research is expected to last for three weeks.

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