The Dutch government has had a slow response to the ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus. Worldwide, countries are shutting down borders, closing schools and other institutions, banning public events and quarantining large areas. 

RIVM reports that the cases detected today have risen to 614, which is an increase of 111 cases from yesterday. It’s unclear as of now how the number relates to the decision by the GGD to only test one member of the family, instead of looking at individual cases.

School leaders demand that educational institutions close

RTL Nieuws reports that the General Association of School Leaders (AVS) has demanded from the government that they close all schools throughout the country, as a way of limiting the spread of the virus. This is a policy that has already been implemented elsewhere in European countries, even in countries that have a much lower number of cases.

Crisis meeting at the government

While earlier on Monday, Mark Rutte has said that he will not implement further actions to prevent the spread of the virus, the cabinet has met at 1:00 PM today in order to decide what is the best course of action to limit the spread of the virus.

The meeting will involve relevant ministers and will take place at the Ministry of Justice and Security. A press conference is scheduled to take place afterwards, we’ll keep you updated.

Check out our coronavirus video

There’s much information out there about the coronavirus, so we’ve decided to compile them into a video in regards to the coronavirus in the Netherlands. You can also check out our list of frequently asked questions about the coronavirus.

And if you’re feeling a little anxious about the coronavirus overload, this article might help. 

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

The coronavirus is now officially a pandemic, according to the World Health Organization.

While other countries are closing down their borders, quarantining entire areas and banning international travels, the Netherlands is still taking a relaxed approach, reports NOS.

RIVM recommendations

Currently, the only advice from the RIVM (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) is still very much the same as it was last week. Wash your hands, avoid handshakes and to stay at home in case you feel you have a cold.

Slightly stricter measures apply in Noord Brabant, where its recommended to avoid social contact with others, with some events in the province being cancelled.

So, given the strong measures implemented by other countries, shouldn’t the Netherlands pick up the slack and also do more about the outbreak? According to crisis management experts, everything is still alright, the only thing that needs to be done is that the government needs to improve their communication about the situation, the experts stated to NOS.

‘Dutch approach considered the best approach’

Marco Zannoni, who is the director of the Institute for Security and Crisis Management considers that it is best to follow the advice of experts (in this case, the RIVM) and that the approach to the crisis needs to be done based on expertise, not on emotion.

Ira Helsloot, from the Crisis Lab of the Radboud University, goes as far as to call the Dutch approach the only right one. He sees tougher measures such as the quarantining of provinces as too extreme and damaging.

Mr. Hesloot then goes on and calls Italy’s approach ‘dumb’. In his vision, the coronavirus will soon be gone, but the economy will be deeply affected given Italy’s intense measures to contain the outbreak.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, said on Monday, during a conference about the coronavirus, that he is not planning on taking tougher measures for the time being. He considers that the Dutch people are down to earth people and that they do not want symbolic measures against the virus.

BREAKING (and sort of funny): right after officially advising the Dutch people that they shouldn't shake hand anymorein daily life because of the #coronavirus : Dutch Primeminister Rutte does this:pic.twitter.com/e0ZoLdyuSp

— DutchReview (@Dutchreviewing) March 9, 2020

Government ought to communicate more about the crisis

Zannoni and other experts consider that the government should communicate more clearly about its actions, especially given the fact that the differences between the Dutch approach and other countries are becoming obvious.

According to Helsloot, even the decisions that have been communicated might not have reached all people, such as (elderly) parents, who are a vulnerable group.

The biggest challenge for the Netherlands according to Zannnoni is for the government to have the ability to continue justifying the measures they are taking (or lack thereof).

So, how are you feeling about these messages from the Dutch experts?

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Feature Image: EU2017EE Estonian Presidency/Wikimedia Commons