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Coronavirus Update: Over three times as many deaths as on Monday

Vedika Luthra
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Coronavirus Update: Over three times as many deaths as on Monday

Since yesterday, there are 54 more deaths in the Netherlands due to the novel coronavirus, more than 3 times as many compared to yesterday. On Tuesdays, however, the numbers are always higher compared to other days of the week due to a delayed count. 

Overall, 5,456 deaths have been reported in total. There are also 196 new coronavirus cases here in the Netherlands (bringing the total to 42,984).  Hospital admissions are more or less the same compared to yesterday— 35 new admissions (the total is now 11,378) compared to 36.

Although the numbers change slightly from day to day, so far it seems as if the peak that happened between March and April has subsided for now. Here’s hoping it continues.

Amsterdam company develops coronavirus test that can give result in under a minute

A young Amsterdam company, Spektrax, is working on developing a coronavirus test that can give a result within a minute.  The makers of the test are aiming for 100% accuracy, and say that so far their results have been promising in that regard.

The test is the brainchild of Spektrax founders Eva Rennen and Johan Pieter Verwey. They hope to have a reliable test within a couple of weeks, and to go into production within months.

Dutch police experience increased violence during the coronavirus crisis

Police have experienced more violence from members of the public than usual during the coronavirus crisis. 

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis back in March, police actually noticed a drop in the amount of violence that they faced in comparison to February, before the whole crisis began. But in April, this has increased again, well beyond normal levels.

This may be due to the fines they have been giving out to people who are not obeying social distancing rules.

Dutch swimming pools trump up the bleach levels

As of yesterday, pools have once again opened their doors for eager swimmers. But of course, coronavirus is still widespread and special precautionary measures must still be taken. 

It is still unclear what exactly the role of water is in disseminating the virus (maybe they should have waited to open pools). Consequently the swimming pool industry advises pools to increase the amount of chlorine they use to keep the water clean. Normally, pools are meant to have between 0.5 to 1.5 milligrams of chlorine. Normally, a pool will have around 0.8mg. The new recommended amount is 1.4mg, pushing it close to the limit but not exceeding it.

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

Image: DutchReview/Canva

Dutch swimming pools trump up the bleach levels

Vedika Luthra
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0
Dutch swimming pools trump up the bleach levels

As of yesterday, pools have once again opened their doors for eager swimmers. But of course, coronavirus is still widespread and special precautionary measures must still be taken. 

It is still unclear what exactly the role of water is in disseminating the virus (maybe they should have waited to open pools). Consequently the swimming pool industry advises pools to increase the amount of chlorine they use to keep the water clean, RTL Nieuws reports.

Chlorine is a chemical disinfectant commonly used in pools against skin cells, sweat, urine and cosmetics. It also combats viruses and bacteria. The more disinfectant in pools, the less chance that the virus spreads. However, this isn’t necessarily good for your skin; chlorine has already proven to be a skin irritant.

Nonetheless, other kinds of bacteria (such as swimming in water containing urine and dirt) is probably also pretty bad for your skin.

Within the limits

Of course, pools wouldn’t be opening if there was any chance that swimming would be deemed unsafe. Even though the quantity of chlorine is recommended to increase, it still lies within the bounds.

Pools are meant to have between 0.5 to 1.5 milligrams of chlorine. Normally, a pool will have around 0.8mg. The new recommended amount is 1.4mg, pushing it close to the limit but not exceeding it.

Pools in corona times

From May 11 onwards, swimmers must:

  • Reserve when they would like to swim beforehand
  • Only visit pools with people from the same household
  • Refrain from visiting pools after having used public transport (i.e. busses, trains)
  • Change their clothes at home, use the toilet at home and shower at home
  • Apply general coronavirus rules at the pool, such as washing hands, keeping 1.5 meters distance, etc.

Are you planning on visiting a pool in the coming days? Let us know in the comments. 

Image: Dasha/Wikimedia Commons

Five surfers found dead, search continues in Scheveningen

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Five surfers found dead, search continues in Scheveningen

This morning, a large-scale search in Scheveningen has started in order to find the missing surfers that disappeared yesterday evening.

Unfortunately, five of them have been found dead, reports RTL Nieuws.

Several people in trouble

It is unknown as of now how many people are in trouble. RTL Nieuws reports that at the moment, at least one other person has not yet been found.

Besides the five unfortunately deceased surfers, a one other was found alive and taken to the hospital.

Difficult search

The search initially started last night, with lifeboats and helicopters. The search was complicated by the windy weather.

Two surfers who were present in Scheveningen yesterday but were not in trouble told the press about the difficult surfing conditions. The thick layer of foam made it difficult to get back on the surfboard once fallen in the waters. A strong water current was also present, especially after 7 PM.

Sympathy from the mayor of The Hague

The acting mayor of the Hague, Johan Remkes, shared his sympathy over Twitter. He stated that “This is first and foremost a personal drama for the relatives of the victims and for relatives who are still in uncertainty. When a group of people started surfing at the beginning of the evening, no one expected that a part would not come home. I speak on behalf of every Hagenaar and every Scheveninger when I say that we are deeply sympathetic and on the side of our neighbours.”

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Feature Image: Abuzer Van Leeuwen/Supplied

 

Dutch police experience increased violence during the coronavirus crisis

Ailish Lalor
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Dutch police experience increased violence during the coronavirus crisis

Police have experienced more violence from members of the public than usual during the coronavirus crisis. 

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis back in March, police actually noticed a drop in the amount of violence that they faced in comparison to February, before the whole crisis began. But in April, this has increased again, well beyond normal levels, NOS reports.

Coronaspugers are the main problem

The main type of violence police are dealing with at the moment is coronaspugers, people who spit or cough at police and threaten them with infection with coronavirus. This does seem to be decreasing again in May, but the level of violence police face is still 4% higher than usual.

More fines given out than usual

This may be due to the fines they have been giving out to people who are not obeying social distancing rules. Since the end of March, police have given out over 9000 fines for people who break the rules. There have also been 13,500 nuisance reports- incidents where people will call the police on neighbours or other people who are having a party or making noise.

Violence against police is on the increase in the Netherlands

However, violence against police has been on the increase in general in the Netherlands over the past few years. This is particularly true in relation to fireworks: in 2017 and 2018, police got attacked by fireworks 6 and 16 times respectively. In 2019 that went up to 94 times.

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

Feature Image: Oxyman/Wikimedia Commons

Amsterdam company develops coronavirus test that can give result in under a minute

Ailish Lalor
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0
Amsterdam company develops coronavirus test that can give result in under a minute

A young Amsterdam company, Spektrax, is working on developing a coronavirus test that can give a result within a minute. 

The test is the brainchild of Spektrax founders Eva Rennen and Johan Pieter Verwey. They hope to have a reliable test within a couple of weeks, and to go into production within months, Bright reports. Increasing test capacity is one of the most important conditions for further relaxing the lockdown in the Netherlands.

How does this test work?

Like all coronavirus tests, this one begins with taking a nasal swab. A medical professional will insert a long cotton swab into the nose or throat of a potential patient, and take a sample of the mucus membrane. This is the longest part of the testing process, taking about 30 seconds.

Then, the sample is put on top of a chip, which is then placed into a hand-held scanner. A laser illuminates the sample and the molecules in it start to vibrate. Then the “fingerprint” of the virus becomes clear. This all takes about an additional 10-30 seconds.

How much will it cost?

The makers of the test are aiming for 100% accuracy, and say that so far their results have been promising in that regard. They’re also not yet sure about the pricing of the test, but were quick to say that it wouldn’t be “1 or 2 euros per test”.

Test could be used for plane travellers or festival goers in the future

Once the test is perfected, Spektrax hope to massively scale up production, making up to hundreds of thousands of chips each month. This test is aimed primarily at doctors, but could also eventually be used in different situations, such as to test passengers before they fly in a plane, or festival goers before they enter the festival itself. One person could test up to 30 people per hour, Spektrax estimate.

What do you think of this new test? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Martin Lopez/Pexels

Coronavirus update: 36 hospitalizations as numbers continue to improve

Vedika Luthra
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Coronavirus update: 36 hospitalizations as numbers continue to improve

The RIVM has published the latest count of coronavirus cases in the Netherlands.

As of today, there are 161 more cases in the Netherlands, bringing the total to 42,788.

36 more people have ended up in the hospital, as the number of hospitalizations continues to be on a downwards trend.

Unfortunately, 16 more people have died since the last count, with 5,456 deaths so far reported in the Netherlands due to the coronavirus.

According to the RIVM, based on the current statistics, the social distancing measures seem to be working and having a positive effect in slowing down the spread of the virus.

Relaxing the lockdown: primary schools, libraries and hairdressers reopen today

Today is a big day for the Netherlands, as primary schools and most contact professions reopen. Primary schools are reopening partially today, after almost two months of schooling at home. The vast majority of schools are opting for half-full classes (where students alternate days).

Contact professions can also reopen from today: that includes masseurs, driving instructors, and nail technicians, among others. For most of these professions, customers are required to call to make an appointment. Libraries will also open today.

Number of ICU cases in the Netherlands continues to drop

The number of ICU cases is continuing to drop in the Netherlands. In the past 24 hours, there has been been a decrease of 34 coronavirus ICU cases. As of now, there are 507 coronavirus patients in ICU’s, as reported by the National Coordination Center for Patient Distribution (LCPS) this past Sunday.

In early-April during the peak of the crisis here in the Netherlands, there were 1,424 coronavirus ICU patients. As an emergency measure, that capacity was temporarily increased to 2,400 beds by bringing nurses and doctors from different departments.

No commute and no colleagues: how have Dutchies found working from home?

Half of Dutch people want to continue working from home in some capacity, research by Nationale Vacaturebank and Intermediair reveals. People’s experiences of working from home depended on a couple of things: whether they had children or not (which made it more difficult to work from home) what sort of work they did (i.e. whether it relied on communicating with others), and their relationship with their coworkers (many people missed their colleagues).

Know your Dutch slang: corona edition

There is an influx of new words birthed during the corona crisis, creating a coronawoordenboek of over seven hundred words. Lucky for us, a lot of them are also brilliant.

Check out top 20 coronavirus slang words, categorised under the following: socialising, dating, regarding government matters, and isolation, defined purely for your entertainment and perhaps use.

Feature image: Gustavo Fring/Pexels

Animal welfare in the Netherlands: an introduction to the Beter Leven star system

James Bogué
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Animal welfare in the Netherlands: an introduction to the Beter Leven star system

Beter Leven. The star system that you have noticed on animal product packaging at the supermarkets, but probably know very little about, except that it might have something to do with animal welfare in the Netherlands. But what is it even for? What is its criteria?

Better yet, why is it so expensive? It’s hard not to notice that items marked with three stars are far, far more expensive to the point that you wonder if the chickens are fed avocado on toast, and go on an all-expenses paid holiday at least twice a year. Maybe it should be labelled ‘Better Life than Me’? If only you could lay eggs.

On a more serious note, perhaps you just want to make a more informed choice on where your animal products come from, but don’t know where to start?

Well, to clear up all of this uncertainty, here is a handy introduction to the Beter Leven campaign.

What is it? What is the point?

It all began in 2007 when the Dutch organisation Dierenbescherming (Animal Protection) introduced the system in order to stimulate improvement in the way livestock are treated. According to their website, in the Netherlands less than one percent of the four-hundred and fifty million animals per year are kept in organic, more animal-friendly systems, which is an utterly depressing statistic.

Therefore, from the farmers to the supermarkets (and all of the links in between), everything is monitored to ensure the whole process is in line with the criteria outlined by the Dierenbescherming. Only until all of the conditions are met do businesses receive a certificate, and failure to reach them can lead to sanctions and/or the loss of certification.

Evaluations are done yearly, though it is not uncommon for extra checks to be conducted. These are not done via the Dierenbescherming, but through accredited, certified institutions who themselves are tested annually by the Raad van Accreditatie (the Dutch accreditation council).

What do the stars signify?

If you are envisaging three star animal welfare in the Netherlands as being pigs going on Yoga Retreats, and cows being allowed to pursue their hobbies, then I’m afraid that it is quite different.

There is a short video posted on the Beter Leven website, so if you want to practice your Dutch then go ahead. If you are really interested and can read Dutch very well, then you can browse all of the criteria per category.

Otherwise, here is a general overview:

One star: already better than nothing. The exact standards vary amongst types of animal but, for example, chickens bred for meat are given more space, a covered outdoor run, and afleidingsmateriaal (things to distract them). They are also slow-growing breeds. Pigs have more space, better afleidingsmateriaal, any transportation is shorter, and they are not neutered. To better avoid the risk of anaemia, calves receive roughage with a higher dose of iron.

Two stars: animals have even more room, afleidingsmateriaal, and are free range.

Three stars: in terms of animal welfare, this sits in line with Biologisch (and similar systems) animal welfare practices, and need to meet the strictest of requirements.

But how is it different to Biologisch?

This is a really good question.

It is important to note that the stress is placed upon a more animal-friendly approach for Beter Leven, as they see themselves as a step in between the conventional and organic meats due to the price still being too high for some when it comes to organic animal products. Though they often overlap in terms of strict animal welfare, biologisch has an additional focus upon environmental factors (think avoiding chemical pesticides).

Why is it so expensive?

With all of this in mind, you can see that a higher star-rating needs more financial investment, which is reflected in the price seen in the supermarkets. For example, organic chickens live almost twice as long as conventional chickens, and forty percent of the total costs of keeping them goes toward feeding them. They eat a lot more, and organic feed is more expensive.

According to the Dierenberscherming, in comparison to conventional livestock farming, one-star products are generally five to fifteen percent more expensive, two-stars up to twenty-five percent, and three-stars up to forty percent. Organic chicken can be an eye-watering two-hundred percent more expensive than conventional chicken.

So if you want the ‘best option’ for both livestock and the environment then take out a small bank loan and opt for Biologisch, three-star Beter Leven animal products.

Or, you know, go plant-based.

What are your thoughts on the Beter Leven system? How does it compare to the situation in your country? Let us know in the comments below. 

Feature Image: RitaE/Pixabay

150 million year old volcano unearthed on Dutch soil

Vedika Luthra
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150 million year old volcano unearthed on Dutch soil

In the area of the North Sea belonging to the Dutch, deep under the soil, in a layer called the subsoil, lies a 150 million year old volcano, discovered last week. 

Of course, the volcano had to be inaugurated in some way, and was therefore dubbed Mulciber (a.k.a. Vulcan), after the Roman god of fire and volcanoes. The volcano was detected by the Geologist Survey of the Netherlands, part of the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), NU.nl reports.

During the intermezzo between the Jurassic and Cretaceous eras, the volcano was active, and after millions of years, the bubbly, firing mass began to cool.

Invisible for years

Although data on the area has been available for years now (in the 80’s volcanic ash and basalt that are derived from volcanoes was discovered), the volcano remained undetected, as researchers believed the material came from another volcano lying 100 kilometres away.

How did a volcano end up in good ole Holland?

According to NU.nl, it happened during the breaking up of Pangaea, the earth’s supercontinent which existed during the Paleozoic and Mezozoic eras. The breaking up of the continent caused fractures on the earth’s crust, resulting in volcanoes.

Are there more?

Some volcanic rocks have been discovered at other drilling sights, which means that there are likely more century-old volcanoes lurking about underneath the ground.

And maps indicate where there is a high chance that a volcano exists. So stay tuned, perhaps some more volcanoes will be discovered in the coming time.

What’s your favourite/most interesting palaeontology fact in the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments.

Feature image: Dr Peter James Chisholm/Wikimedia Commons

People with dual citizenship checked more strictly by tax authorities

Vlad Moca-Grama
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People with dual citizenship checked more strictly by tax authorities

Dealing with the tax authorities is a necessary chore of adulthood. Especially as an expat in the Netherlands, it can prove a complicated task to navigate through the complex Dutch taxing system.

What is even more complicated is if you have dual citizenship in the Netherlands, as research has shown that the tax authorities will have even stricter controls than usual, reports NU.

Stricter checks between 2012 and 2014

The research has shown that between 2012 and 2014, those who had second citizenship were checked more strictly for fraud by the tax authorities.

The Tax and Customs Administration developed a “risk module” which had five criteria that if fulfilled would have lead to a more intensive check on tax returns. Among these criteria was that of having a second nationality.

In 2012, 3,403 citizens were additionally checked based on the criteria, followed by 7,466 people in the year after. In 2014, the law was amended, and dual citizenship was no longer registered in the Personal Records Database. By 2015, dual citizenship was no longer used by tax authorities as a reason for stricter checks.

Controversial allowance affair

In 2019 it was revealed that the tax department unlawfully terminated child allowances and designated certain parents as fraudsters without any proof. This involved thousands of euros, causing financial trouble for innocent parents.

The tax department denied any sort of ethnic profiling, but it’s important to note that the older data on dual citizenship was available to the allowance department for a check-up.

If you’d like to know more about the taxing system in the Netherlands, you should check out our article on 10 things to know about taxes in the Netherlands as an expat.

Should the data on dual citizenship be removed from access by any of the tax authorities, due to concerns over ethnic profiling? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: stevebp/Pixabay

 

No commute and no colleagues: how have Dutchies found working from home?

Ailish Lalor
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0
No commute and no colleagues: how have Dutchies found working from home?

The majority of Dutch people have been working from home for about two months now. The question is: do they ever want to go back to the office?

Half of Dutch people want to continue working from home in some capacity, research by Nationale Vacaturebank and Intermediair reveals. 53% have positive feelings about the experience overall, and 49% want to continue it, at least some of the time.

Working from home was more difficult for people with children

People’s experiences of working from home depended on a couple of things: whether they had children or not, what sort of work they did, and their relationship with their coworkers. For 42% of people without children, this time working at home allowed them to be able to concentrate better. Only 21% of those with children could say the same.

Missing colleagues is a major reason people want to go back to the office

59% of people name missing their colleagues as the primary reason they want to go back to the office. For higher educated people, this number is even higher, at 65%. Video calling really isn’t filling the social void, says Maarten Naaijkens from the Nationale Vacaturebank in an interview with AD, and people are only now realising how important their colleagues are to them.

Basically no one misses commuting

The best part of working from home is not having a commute any more, say 68%, while 61% are really enjoying being able to organise their own time. Only 29% are enjoying the extra family time.

The crisis will change how we work well into the future

There will likely be changes to work-life in the Netherlands in any case after this crisis. What it has shown is that working from home is feasible for a lot of people. Prior to the lockdown, working at home was often discussed in workplaces, but employers usually only saw the negative side.

It’s likely that this has now changed, Naaijkens says. “We are entering a different time with how we view work. Both employers and employees have experienced the benefits of working from home. The question will become for many functions: do you really need to be in the office every day for what you are doing?”

What are your thoughts on working from home? What have been the best and the worst parts of it? Let us know in the comments below.

Feature Image: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

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