The Dutch cabinet wants to cancel introduction weeks for universities, given the risk of the coronavirus spreading.

An official decision will be made and announced at the press conference later today, reports RTL Nieuws. Insiders told RTL Nieuws yesterday that it is very unlikely that student introduction weeks will be held, as the government considers students a risk group when it comes to the spread of the coronavirus.

The National Student Union has expressed disappointment with the cabinet’s plan. Given that the first semester will be digital, the union considers it very important for students to be introduced to their school programmes and cities in person. “Especially if your education is going to be mainly digital, as a freshman you should have the opportunity to get to know your fellow students, your city and your college or university.”

Conference tonight

At 7 PM today, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge will hold a press conference discussing new coronavirus measures, given the recent spike in cases.

Among other things, testing is expected to be facilitated for travellers arriving at Schiphol from high-risk areas. This way people coming from countries on the orange list will be able to spend less time in quarantine if they test negative.

The cabinet additionally hopes to lower the threshold for quarantine. This can only be done on a voluntary basis, as legally the options to oblige it are limited.

The cabinet plans to support mayors of cities and chairmen of security regions with certain measures. For example in the catering industry, by introducing a registration requirement for visitors, or by having these establishments close earlier in the day.

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It’s been an eventful day for the coronavirus situation in the Netherlands.

A fake RIVM letter has started circulating, telling recipients that children are getting vaccinated at school without parental consent. The RIVM has confirmed that they did not make the letter, and that legal vaccination does require consent from a parent or guardian.

Er gaat een nepbrief rond waarin staat dat kinderen op school zonder toestemming van ouders gevaccineerd worden. Dit is niet waar en de brief is niet van het RIVM.#Vaccinatie is een medische handeling waarvoor toestemming van de ouder (en het kind zelf bij 12+) noodzakelijk is. pic.twitter.com/5Di9pQmxas

— RIVM (@rivm) August 5, 2020

Meanwhile, in Rotterdam, a rule has come into force making face masks obligatory in some busy areas of the city. A group of 50 people were so against this new policy, they met without a permit to protest the policy in the city centre, reports RTL Nieuws. Agents told the group to wear a mask or leave the centre. According to a spokesperson from the police, “A few people remain, but most people are led away by the officers.” The police are currently noting down the people who have decided to stay to protest.

The development come as RIVM report  426 new cases in the past 24-hours, with five new hospital admissions and three new deaths. Of the new cases, 89 come from Rotterdam, 63 from Amsterdam and 24 from The Hague.

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Starting from today, face masks are obligatory in some busy areas in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

As the number of cases in the Netherlands is steadily picking up again, wearing face masks in the two cities has become obligatory in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, reports RTL Nieuws.

Amsterdam

In Amsterdam, face masks are obligatory in five areas. The red-light district in De Wallen, on Kalverstraat, on Nieuwendijk as well as on Albert Cuypstraat and the markets on Plein ’40-’45.

The measure applies only to people aged 13 and above. During the weekends, there’ll be a team of enforcers reminding people to wear a mask and giving them one if need be. Those who do not respect the rules risk a fine of 95 euros.

Rotterdam

In Rotterdam, face masks must be worn on streets around busy shopping areas. This included Coolsingel, Nieuwe Binnenwegplein, Lijnbaan and Meent. People must also wear face masks in the following market areas: Visserijplein, Binnenrotte, Afrikaanderplein and the covered shopping areas of Zuidplein and Alexandrium. Two other shopping areas are considered for obligatory face masks, Binnenhof and Keizerswaard.

The obligation to wear a face mask in Rotterdam starts at 6 AM and will end at 10 PM daily. The same age of 13 and above applies when it comes to who needs to wear face masks.

Warning before giving out fines

A spokesperson from the security region stated the following yesterday. “We are going to speak to people first and do everything we can to encourage them to voluntarily put on the mask in the designated areas. Handing out fines is not an end in itself, we expect people to comply with the obligation to contribute, for their own health and that of others.”

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The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Netherlands has increased to 2588. That’s 1259 more than the increase reported last week. Noord Holland and Zuid Holland, in particular, have seen a dramatic increase in cases. 

This comes after more than 100,000 tests were performed in the last week — almost 10,000 less than the week before. While last week 1.1% of tests came back positive, but this has increased to 1.3.

A further 44 people have been hospitalized within the past week. This is an increase of 21 cases compared to last week.

Unfortunately, the virus continues to cause casualties. Another six people have passed away from the virus this week, three more than the week before.

The reproduction number, which details how many people are infected by one person, has dropped slightly from 1.4 last week to 1.2 this week.

Press conference on the coronavirus situation this Thursday

This week on Thursday a press conference will be held to discuss the situation of the coronavirus in the Netherlands. The conference will be held with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Minister of Health. The specific points on the agenda are as of now unknown.

Number of flight passengers who test positive for coronavirus is on the rise

A spokesperson from the GGD (Municipal Health Service) has confirmed that 76 people have tested positive for coronavirus after flying into Schiphol airport between the dates of June 1 and July 30.

It’s believed passengers did not contract the virus while on the flight, but on their way home from Schiphol. A spokesperson stated that given the holiday season, an increase of coronavirus cases is to be expected.

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After months of online learning, which promise to stretch into the upcoming academic year, many students in the Netherlands insist that they are paying too much for the education they receive. As a result, petitions for partial refunds have been building momentum across Dutch universities.

With distanced learning, textbooks become the primary source of study, Tilburg University student Sema Keskin told NOS. Lectures are chaotic, she says, resembling simple PowerPoint presentations that add little value. Professors are mostly unavailable and fail to promptly answer the questions of struggling students. “If you also cannot use the facilities of the campus,” she asks, “why are you paying the full amount?”

For these reasons, Keskin believes that €2000 is an illogical tuition rate during these times. Given that opting for online learning before COVID-19 was a third of the price cheaper, Keskin’s petition calls for this amount to be refunded to students for previous and future distanced semesters.

The impact on non-EU students

Tuition fees instantly multiply by up to seven times for non-EU students who find themselves unable to return to their home countries due to the coronavirus. Gleb Podorozhnyy, also of Tilburg University, started a petition for this very demographic who did not come to the Netherlands for Skype lectures.

“I want to show that non-EU students in the Netherlands are having a very hard time financially,” Podorozhnyy told U-Today. “They live from month to month. Students come from less wealthy countries, such as India, as well. They are supported by their whole family. They cannot return to their home country. This situation makes them very anxious. I just want to say with this petition: please, keep us in mind.”

The government’s response

According to Erasmus Magazine, the Dutch government has promised students who graduate between September and January a refund worth three months worth of tuition fees. However, whether this applies to Dutch students, EU citizens or all students is currently unclear. Compensation for study delays caused by coronavirus will also be granted, but the details of this are yet to be determined.

Do you think that students should receive refunds for their tuition? Let us know in the comments below.

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