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Coronavirus update: 165 people test positive a week after widespread testing becomes available

Ailish Lalor
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Coronavirus update: 165 people test positive a week after widespread testing becomes available

A week after widespread coronavirus testing became available, a further 165 people have tested positive as of today. That brings the Dutch total to 47,739 cases.

Further coronavirus deaths and hospitalisations continue to remain low. 5 people were admitted to hospital today with coronavirus. 3 people sadly passed away from the virus.

On Tuesday each week, the results for the previous week are brought up to date, so we may see a slight increase in these numbers in tomorrow’s report.

The results of the first week of coronavirus testing

Just under 60,000 appointments were made for people to take a coronavirus test since last Monday. Of those, 50,000 tests were already done, with the remaining 10,000 due to take place today. Only 2% of the tests came back positive. Interestingly, at least 40% of those who called the testing phone line were not people with symptoms: many seem to have been people with questions about coronavirus and its implications, for example for summer holidays or seeing family members.

Customers in supermarkets no longer respect coronavirus measures

It’s been three months since the coronavirus outbreak began in the Netherlands. And while for most of that time period, people respected coronavirus measures, it now seems that some people are starting to slack off. Such is the case in supermarkets, where staff report that customers are no longer respecting coronavirus measures. The trade union FNV conducted a questionnaire on 800 supermarket employees. More than 90% of those surveyed report that customers no longer respect the necessary 1.5-metre distance, as well as no longer taking a shopping cart or trolley with them when entering.

Wild swimming during a summer at home

The Netherlands is due a hot summer this year, and with many people planning to stay in the country due to coronavirus, municipalities are searching for ways to help people to enjoy it safely. In Amsterdam, Jan-Bert Vroege, a D66 councillor, is investigating the possibilities of opening up swimming areas in the canals around the city. Wild swimming in the canals has the advantage of being cheap, and therefore accessible to everyone.

You can follow DutchReview on Facebook for more updates on coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Mark Rutte, sociological jargon isn’t real, but institutional racism is

Brin Andrews
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Mark Rutte, sociological jargon isn’t real, but institutional racism is

Mark Rutte says institutional racism is sociological jargon. 

First, let’s take a brief moment to celebrate the progress of the prime minister acknowledging that there’s systemic racism in the Netherlands. *Golf clap*

Now, let’s take a look at what he really said

Prime Minister Rutte acknowledged publicly on Wednesday that there is indeed institutional racism in the Netherlands, and that it’s problematic. He then went on to say on Thursday that institutional racism is ‘sociological jargon,’ and he doesn’t want to use the term because it would upset too many people. He believes they would be defensive and offended at the idea of being called racist, and that they would be dismissive of the antiracism movement. 

But, to understand institutional racism is to understand that there’s no reason to take personal offense. So we need to sort this out.

Let’s try to wrap our heads around ‘sociological jargon’

Sociology is a science, ‘the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society.’ Experts in this field don’t come up with terms to use as jargon–that’s what politicians do. 

Sociologists, like psychologists, palaeontologists, and penguinologists, examine, research, and carefully define terms that explain complex interactions within their field of study. It’s science. Sociologists have no use for jargon.

Now, let’s clarify what institutional racism is

Institutional racism is synonymous with systemic racism. Both terms refer to the ways in which white people are favored in everyday thinking at a systems level, from laws and regulations to education and hiring to unquestioned social systems. It doesn’t point the finger at individuals but addresses the unconscious biases that have been ingrained in institutions, planted generations ago. (Remember slavery? Yeah, during that time.) 

‘Structural racism,’ the term Rutte prefers, would be saying the same thing. It’s just not using the term coming from the scientists, it’s coming from the politician…Now, which phrase is jargon, again?

No matter how you package it, it has to be acknowledged, and it can’t be if people are wrapped up in a blanket of denial, taking offense to something nobody was ever accusing them of. It’s not about individual morals, it’s about deep-seated biases that we have to work together to unravel. 

Raise the bar

Now that Rutte is dipping his toe into the vast sea of recognising systemic racism in the Netherlands, a better approach would be to help folks more deeply understand what it is, why it’s problematic, and what they can do about it, rather than dismissing the proper term as jargon. To assume that the Dutch are too sensitive and defensive to handle the very mention of it is to hold a low standard of expectations. The Netherlands is better than that– empower them to prove it.

Do you think a different name for institutional racism will have different results? Let us know in the comments.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of DutchReview.

Feature Image: Abuzer van Leeuwen/Supplied

Hot, dry summer ahead as Amsterdam considers promoting wild swimming in canals

Ailish Lalor
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Hot, dry summer ahead as Amsterdam considers promoting wild swimming in canals

The Netherlands is due a hot summer this year, and with many people planning to stay in the country, municipalities are searching for ways to help people to enjoy it safely.

In Amsterdam, Jan-Bert Vroege, a D66 councillor, is investigating the possibilities of opening up swimming areas in the canals around the city. Wild swimming in the canals has the advantage of being cheap, and therefore accessible to everyone.

It also allows for social distancing: if the city opens up lots of swimming areas, and spreads them out well, Amsterdammers won’t end up crowding to the same couple of places. Swimming in some canals is still unadvisable, given, well, the random bikes that occasionally get chucked in.

But the Waternet water board is investigating the level of cleanliness in different areas of the Amsterdam canals, so that the municipality can make a more informed decision about wild swimming in the canals.

Droughts expected this summer

According to Weeronline, we can expect a hot, dry summer in the Netherlands, with highs of 35-40 degrees Celsius. Since April this year, the Netherlands has been dealing with the consequences of a drought, with issues occurring that usually wouldn’t be a problem until high summer. For example, plants in an Amsterdam park already had to be watered in May.

However, the summer will still be Dutch, in the sense that the weather we experience in any given week will be changeable, with showers, sun, and more showers expected most weeks. Temperatures will generally range between 20 and 25 degrees.

Would you go swimming in the canals of Amsterdam? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: 12019/Pixabay 

Customers in supermarkets no longer respect coronavirus measures

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Customers in supermarkets no longer respect coronavirus measures

It’s been three months since the coronavirus outbreak began in the Netherlands. And while for most of that time period, people respected coronavirus measures, it now seems that some people are starting to slack off.

Such is the case in supermarkets, where staff report that customers are no longer respecting coronavirus measures, reports NOS.

Questionnaire for supermarket staff

The trade union FNV conducted a questionnaire on 800 supermarket employees. More than 90% of those surveyed report that customers no longer respect the necessary 1.5-metre distance, as well as no longer taking a shopping cart or trolley with them when entering.

People have also started to take their children back to supermarkets, and the youngsters run around the store unattended and touch many products. Staff risk an aggressive reaction from customers if they approach them about this issue.

The questionnaire also revealed that one-third of supermarket employees do not feel that enough is being done to keep their workplace safe. Trade union FNV recommends that store owners call in extra security guards to enforce the measures, as well as deploying more staff for tasks related to disinfecting the stores.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest coronavirus news in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: Anna Shvets/Pexels

The results of the first week of coronavirus testing: only 2% of tests came back positive

Ailish Lalor
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The results of the first week of coronavirus testing: only 2% of tests came back positive

A week after coronavirus testing was opened to anyone with symptoms, 50,000 tests have been taken, of which only 1,000 came back positive.

Just under 60,000 appointments were made for people to take a coronavirus test since last Monday. Of those, 50,000 tests were already done, with the remaining 10,000 due to take place today. Only 2 percent of the tests came back positive.

This is what Sjaak de Gouw, portfolio holder Infectious Disease Control of GGD GHOR, expected. “When we tested in healthcare, about 17 percent of the tests were positive among residents [of healthcare institutions] and employees. Then we also tested the teachers and contact professions, after which that percentage dropped to 5 percent. We had already assumed that the percentage of positive tests – now that the testing options have been further expanded – would be below 5 percent and it shows.”

90,000 unique callers in the first week

The GGD appears to have calculated the maximum capacity of testing centres and the phone line correctly. Although at the beginning of the week, there was a massive upsurge in phone calls (over 90,000 total unique callers throughout the week), in the end those who needed to be tested were able to get the necessary appointments.

Interestingly, at least 40% of those who called the phone line were not people with symptoms: many seem to have been people with questions about coronavirus and its implications, for example for summer holidays or seeing family members.

You can follow DutchReview on Facebook for more updates on coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Coronavirus weekend update: number of new cases remains low despite the widespread availability of tests

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Coronavirus weekend update: number of new cases remains low despite the widespread availability of tests

The RIVM has published the latest count of coronavirus numbers in the Netherlands for today, June 7. We’ve also taken the numbers from Saturday for this update, so what follows now are the numbers for both days.

While summer is quickly approaching and all the extra sunshine might make us more relaxed, it’s important to not dismiss the threat the coronavirus still poses.

The newest count of cases reveals 422 new cases of coronavirus reported over the weekend, with 183 cases on Saturday and 239 cases reported today. Ever since the crisis began in February, there’s been a total of 47,574 registered cases in the country.

Severe cases of coronavirus lead to 7 patients ending up in the hospital these past two days, where they are now receiving medical care in ICU’s.

Unfortunately, the virus continues to claim lives, with 8 more people passing away within the last 48 hours. Throughout the Netherlands, 6,013 people have lost their lives to the virus.

Minks with coronavirus at farms are currently being culled

On several farms, minks infected with coronavirus are currently being culled, reports NOS. The minks have also infected employees of the farms and that is one of the main reasons behind the fact that they are being culled.

Animal rights organizations tried last Friday to save the lives of the minks in court but unfortunately have failed. The animals are placed in boxes where carbon monoxide is injected. Mink farms are to be forbidden in the Netherlands in 2024.

Mass celebrated after three months in Boekel

The Saint Agatha Church in Boekel is celebrating mass for the first time after three months. The small community in Boekel was very affected by the coronavirus, as the village has many elderly.

The deacon of the church, Henk Van Thiel, reports that many of the residents are still afraid to come to mass due to fears over coronavirus, Omroep Brabant reports. Understandably so, as van Thiel had to do 30 funerals, all coronavirus related, in a very short timespan. Hopefully, for this small community, their celebration of mass will pave the way back to normality.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest coronavirus news in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

 

Coronavirus update: the Netherlands passes the grim milestone of 6.000 deaths

Abuzer van Leeuwen 🇳🇱
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Coronavirus update: the Netherlands passes the grim milestone of 6.000 deaths

The RIVM has published the latest count of coronavirus cases in the Netherlands, for today, June 5.

As of Monday this week, access to tests became more readily available for all people who have corona-related complaints, so it’s interesting to see how the number of active cases develops.

With this in mind, 210 more cases of coronavirus have been reported in the Netherlands, reaching a total of 47,152 cases ever since the outbreak began back in February. Yesterday there was an increase of 209. It’s fair to say that most of us here were frankly expecting a bigger surge in the number of cases with testing becoming more widely available. But the numbers might still go up faster as the days pass and more test results come in.

Severe cases of coronavirus lead to 11 people ending up in the hospital. Unfortunately, the virus continues to claim lives. Sadly 15 more people have passed away due to the virus, leading to 6,005 casualties throughout the country.

Number of corona patients in the ICU continues to decrease

Slowly but surely there are fewer patients in the intensive care units. Just a 113 remain, while yesterday it was a 116.

In case you’re wondering how many people have been cured of coronavirus in the Netherlands, well, nobody really knows – check out our article on that matter.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest coronavirus news in the Netherlands.

Missed tulip season this year? Why not grow your own!

Samantha Dixon 🇦🇺
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Missed tulip season this year? Why not grow your own!

If the only thing that got you through the winter was the thought of a casual stroll down rows of thousands of tulips, you were probably left sorely disappointed.

The pandemic devastated tourism in the Netherlands, and people flaunting social distancing rules even caused whole fields to be cut down. While it’s unclear whether tulip tourism will reopen next year, there is a solution in the meantime: grow your own!

Whether you have a green or a brown thumb, tulips are seriously easy to grow. Once you have the bulbs, it’s a simple matter of choosing a sunny spot, digging some holes, mixing some soil and fertilizer, and then watching them sprout into stunning flowers for your garden. Leave them in the soil, pick them for yourself, or give them as gifts to subtly show off your amazing gardening skills. Don’t forget to practice saying: “These old things? They’re just a little something I grew in my garden.” and add in a hair flick for good measure.

What kind of tulips can I get?

Close your eyes and think of all the colours in the world. Then, multiply that by 428. Alright, alright, maybe not that many — but a lot. Tulip colours go far beyond the simple red, yellow, and white varieties. In fact, the Royal Horticultural Association of Holland has recognized over 3,000 different cultivated tulip varieties — that’s a lot of choice!

So take your paintbrush (garden shovel) and start splashing paint (planting tulips) to decorate your garden in all the colours you can dream of. Your guests may even believe they’ve stepped foot directly into a rainbow.

And the shapes? Whew, the shapes! You can choose from Darwin Hybrid Tulips, Triumph Tulips, Double Tulips, Fringed Tulips, Fosteriana Tulips, Greigii Tulips, Kaufmanniana Tulips, Lily-Flowered Tulips, Parrot Tulips, Single Early Tulips, Single Late Tulips, French Single Late Tulips, Viridiflora Tulips, and Species Tulips *breathes heavily and mops sweat off forehead*. To summarise, there’s a lot of colours and a lot of types of tulips.

tulips-netherlands-garden
Image: Jill Wellington/Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/nl-nl/foto/blijdschap-bloeiend-bloemen-bloesem-413735/

When can I plant my tulip bulbs?

If you think that tulip bulbs are seasonal, you’re right — but what you may not know, is that there are tulips for all types of seasons! So, while you can plant Jumbo Cherry Tulips in the early to mid-spring, by the time summer rolls around you should start thinking about Ice-Cream Tulips instead. Cherry, ice-cream . . . is anyone else getting hungry? No? Okay, let’s continue.

Your geographical location will also heavily affect what bulbs you should plant, and when. Before starting off with your tulip journey, check your region to see what tulip bulbs will grow best. If you’re in the US, you can check this handy map — just put in your postcode, and you’ll be shown what flowers suit your zone. Which brings us to…

Help! I’m in the US, where can I get real Dutch tulips?

You know what kind of tulips you can plant — but you want the real authentic Dutch tulips, you’ll need to get them from the Netherlands. But, hold off on buying a plane ticket there’s a family farm in Holland who have an outlet in Pennsylvania! Dutch Grown send their top-quality, 100% Dutch bulbs direct to the US, so you can fulfil your deepest tulip dreams ❤️ 🌷.

This is especially great if you want both standard tulips, and some of the more special and exotic varieties: think Tulip Rainbow Parrot, Tulip Miami Sunset, Tulip Vincent van Gogh, and Tulip Cabanna Parrot. And, if you’re in the Netherlands you can get them there too 😉.

Do you have tulips in your garden, or are you lusting after them? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: Jill Wellington/Pexels

Body of fifth surfer recovered from the sea, as investigation shows conditions were “exceptional”

Ailish Lalor
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Body of fifth surfer recovered from the sea, as investigation shows conditions were “exceptional”

Yesterday, the body of the fifth surfer who died at Scheveningen on May 11 was recovered from the sea. An investigation from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) has shown that the conditions that day were exceptional. 

On 11 May, five surfers died during exceptional weather conditions while surfing at Scheveningen. Two bodies were taken out of the water the same day, and two more the following day. It has taken until yesterday to locate the fifth.

As of today, the NIOZ has released the results of its investigation into the weather conditions that day. It does not attempt to explain why the surfers died, merely to explain why the weather conditions were so bad that day.

What caused the foam?

The main factor was the unusual level of algae in the water that day. Combined with high winds and a strong current, a meter thick layer of foam was created on top of the sea. The layer was created by Phaeocystis globosa: an alga that blooms at this time of the year. It releases protein, which foams up like milk for coffee if there is wind and a strong current.

According to Pat Smith, night mayor of The Hague, who is a surfer and an acquaintance of the victims, foam by itself is not usually a problem for experienced surfers.

“The elements turned against them, because the wind direction changed very quickly.” He called the accident “bad luck”. Experienced surfer Chris Way described surfing foam as “a kind of maze without an exit.”

Feature Image: Abuzer Van Leeuwen/Supplied

Rutte has changed his opinion on Zwarte Piet, agrees institutional racism is present in the Netherlands

Ailish Lalor
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Rutte has changed his opinion on Zwarte Piet, agrees institutional racism is present in the Netherlands

Prime Minister Rutte has revealed that his opinion on Zwarte Piet has changed over the past years.

Before, the Prime Minister was very much on the side of keeping Zwarte Piet in blackface: “I also belonged to the group that said: ‘Zwarte Piet is simply black’,” he said during a debate in parliament on Thursday, when the anti-racism protests were discussed, NU.nl reports.

However, he said that his opinion changed over time, following conversations with people who made their objections to the tradition clear. . “When I met people who said: ‘I feel incredibly discriminated against, because that Piet is black’, I thought: that is the last thing you want at the Sinterklaas party.”

Rutte does not want to use the term “institutional racism”

This conversation took place during a debate about institutional racism. Rutte says that he does not want to use this term, as it would cause too much resistance among white Dutch people. He imagines that they think that they were being called racists, and would turn away from the movement. This slightly misses the point that racism is ingrained in everyone.

Rutte also thinks the term “institutional racism” is “sociological jargon” and instead prefers to use “structural racism”, though he does admit that institutional racism exists in the Netherlands, at the urging of DENK MP Tunahan Kuzu and GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver.

Government will not intervene in Zwarte Piet tradition

As for concrete action in banning Zwarte Piet, Rutte says that this is not something the government should do. He believes the tradition is already changing. “In a few years, those Pieten will no longer be black, I expect. It is a folk culture that changes over time under the pressure of the social debate.”

What did you think of Rutte’s statement on Zwarte Piet? Let us know in the comments below. 

Feature Image: Minister-president Rutte/Flickr

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