Following the leak of rumoured national measures earlier today, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister for Health Hugo De Jonge have fronted the press once more to clarify the new restrictions. 

As coronavirus cases continue to rise throughout the country, there has been much speculation surrounding the Dutch government’s approach to coronavirus. Rutte and De Jonge have previously said that they are hesitant to impose any new measures that may suffocate an already damaged economy. The introduction of strict measures has also caused much debate surrounding the question of individual freedom.

But infection numbers are rising way too fast, and thus here we are, another press conference and another set of measures — perhaps relaxed compared to the rest of the Europe but pretty heavy for the Dutch.

Rutte and De Jonge’s main message

Tomorrow, starting at 18.00, there will be new national measures. Measures which were before only thought to be needed at a regional level, but things have changed for the worst the last few days. The number of infections is so high at a regional level, that the government has now concluded that we need nationwide measures to get ahead of this second wave.

De Jonge also stated that we all needed to get our heads into countering corona, and Dutch people were getting more and more relaxed with the current corona measures. People weren’t washing their hands or working from home as much as they did previously and as such, this was reflected in the rapidly rising number of corona infections of the past weeks.

Even with the measures taken today, De Jonge expects that there will be at least 400 people in ICU beds halfway through October. All in all a serious situation and the tone throughout the press conference was serious and grim.

And thus, as the number of high risk regions have increased, Rutte and De Jonge have decided to take a stronger stance against the second wave. The Dutch government have introduced the following national and regional measures.

National measures as announced in the press conference

Rutte and De Jonge have confirmed that the new national measures are as follows, these will be active for (at least) the following 3 weeks and will be in effect after Tuesday 6.00 pm.

• The maximum number of people who can meet (without living together) is four. No more than 4 friends at one table.
• Only have 3 people over on top of the number of people in a household (urgent advice)
• Only 30 people will be allowed to congregate in public spaces, this includes restaurants (mayors can make an exception if needed for the public good)
• In outdoor areas, you can apply for a meeting of maximum 40 people.
• All businesses in the catering industry will have to close after 10pm. Last customers in at 9pm. To stop ‘alcoholic moments’ in which people transmit the virus.
• Sport games, professional and amateur can no longer have a physically present audience. Also because these games attract a lot of traveling folks. Sport canteens will also be closed for these 3 weeks.
• All contact professions are required to keep records of the contact details of their customers (barbershops and such)
• Shopping carts will be required in supermarkets and special hours will be arranged for vulnerable shoppers (this might take a few days).
• Shop alone, it’s not a fun outing. Shops need to make sure that people can keep 1,5 metre distance
• Shops in The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam can refuse people who don’t want to wear a mouth mask.
• Also lastly but important, work from home, unless this is really not possible. So it’s back to the situation from before the summer. (Rutte: no teambuilding sessions)

And for those wondering, the regular corona measures are still valid. We’ve seen the government also change the announced measures slightly after the press conferences, this is something we can’t control or know of course.

Rutte also said “We know it’s a hard pill to swallow for all those entrepreneurs who have already gone through so much by now, but sadly, only together can we keep corona down”

Both men hope to see an effect on the corona numbers in 10 days to 2 weeks, otherwise there will be more drastic measures or even a return to the ‘intelligent’ lockdown of March till May.

Mouth masks still not in favour

There has been much debate surrounding whether or not masks should be made mandatory in order to battle coronavirus. Whilst some see it as an issue of freedom, others such as the Red Team, a group of independent experts have argued to the cabinet that masks are necessary in the battle against the virus.

The cabinet is allowing and advising shopkeepers in the big three cities to voluntarily refuse shoppers who don’t wear mouth masks but Rutte also reiterated that mouth masks aren’t the big answer to corona. So it’s still a no-go for obligatory nationwide mouth masks and thus the ‘soft’ stance on masks by the Dutch continues.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: still press conference

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. 

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

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. 

Feature Image: Anna Shvets/Pexels

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!

Feature Image:Mika Baumeister/ Unsplash

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! 

Feature Image: djedj/Pixabay

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.
Feature Image: CDC/Unsplash