Home Blog Page 664

Expats leaving, holiday rental flats empty: what has coronavirus done to Amsterdam’s housing market?

Ailish Lalor
-
1
Expats leaving, holiday rental flats empty: what has coronavirus done to Amsterdam’s housing market?

The rental market in Amsterdam has experienced something no one would have thought possible a few months ago: more supply than demand.

Het Parool reports that as a result of the coronavirus crisis, apartments usually rented out to holidayers have been lying vacant. In the months before the social distancing came into effect, rental prices increased slightly in Amsterdam, making the already expensive city just a little more out of the average person’s reach. Now, there are more and more houses being offered for rent to the general public, because no tourists are visiting the Dutch capital right now.

Some expats have also gone home

But there is another factor in this increase in supply: some expats, who were permanent residents, have decided to return to their home countries during the coronavirus crisis. Many of their homes are currently being put on Airbnb, but it’s likely that in the future, their landlords will need to decrease the rent to attract new tenants, according to Jasper de Groot, director of Pararius. “Landlords who can easily rent out to the many expats during the boom, now have to offer attractive rental prices to avoid vacancy,” he says.

People are still looking at houses to rent

In terms of whether permanent residents are still looking to move house, the answer seems to be yes, de Groot says. At the beginning of the crisis, traffic on the site went down, but it has now returned to normal levels. “Home seekers apparently dare to continue their search for a home.” There are more apartments for rent for them to choose from.

And what about house buyers?

Whether the housing market for potential buyers changes depends on how long the crisis continues. Amsterdam has long been one of the most expensive spots in the country to buy a house, with areas in the South East and New West experiencing a particularly marked increase in prices in the last year.

Will the coronavirus bring affordable housing to Amsterdam? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!

Feature Image: Abuzer van Leeuwen/Supplied. 

COVID-19 update: Netherlands approaches for 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases

Vedika Luthra
-
0
COVID-19 update: Netherlands approaches for 30,000 confirmed coronavirus cases

The RIVM’s latest coronavirus figures reveal that there are 1,061 new coronavirus cases in the Netherlands. This brings the total to 29,214.

In the meantime, there are 182 new hospitalisations. The total is now 9,309. Finally, there are 181 more reported deaths, bringing the total count to 3,315 deaths in the Netherlands.

Coronavirus press conference yesterday

Yesterday at 7pm, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Hugo de Jonge held a press conference to discuss the current state of affairs regarding the coronavirus crisis in the Netherlands. This comes after the cabinet met this evening.

There were no big revelations of new rules: instead, the press conference is part of the government’s strategy to take the public along with them in the decision-making process. In his speech, Rutte emphasised that although things weren’t going to go back to normal, the more we respect the measures, the sooner we can all relax

De Jonge also that it was both unnecessary to do so, and would potentially have a negative effect on the healthcare system, where face masks are still in short supply.

Number of ICU beds needed will decrease to normal levels by 1 May, OMT expects

According to the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), intensive care units will go back down to their regular capacity by 1 May. That means, in practice, that there will be 1200 total beds, of which 700 will be occupied by coronavirus patients.

The government has said that in order for normal life to begin to resume once again, three criteria need to be met. There needs to be less pressure on the healthcare system, there needs to be sufficient testing capacity, and there needs to be a way to track infections.

Government pledges 300 million euros to support cultural sector

The cultural sector has been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak, as museums, musical venues and theatres have had to close. There are concerns in the cultural sector that there will be a loss of turnover of up to one billion euros by the first of June.

Thankfully, the Government has made a support package worth 300 million euros. The package is intended to support cultural institutions for the next couple of months, but they can also use the money to prepare for next season. The package is not intended for all the cultural institutions in the Netherlands: just for those which are of vital interest.

Dutch cabinet reacts to Trump suspending WHO funding

Yesterday it was announced that American president, Donald Trump had decided to suspend funding from the World Health Organisation. In response, the Netherlands expressed its support towards the association. 

The Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag took to Twitter in order to stress Dutch support for WHO. The Minister stated:

“The Netherlands supports the WHO. It is important that the WHO can continue to do its job well in this global corona crisis. Now is not the time to turn off the money tap. Now all our energy is needed to overcome this crisis. International cooperation is vital.”

5,300 coronavirus infections reported in nursing homes

The elderly are among the most vulnerable of groups when it comes to the risk brought about by the coronavirus.

Only half of the sick elderly have been tested for coronavirus, while the rest display symptoms which closely resemble the virus. This is in line with the RIVM policy of only testing and registering serious cases.

The nursing homes report the deaths of patients suspected of coronavirus to the Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands. According to one of their reports, 2,000 people died in just one week (30 March-6 April).

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more updates on coronavirus in the Netherlands. 

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Education Council: new school year should begin earlier if school closures continue

Vedika Luthra
-
0
Education Council: new school year should begin earlier if school closures continue

The Education Council has proposed that if schools are still closed after the May holidays, the new school year may start earlier in the fall in order to make up for any gaps and bring students up to date. 

The advice was conveyed to the Dutch Minister for Primary and Secondary Education and Media, Arie Slob, who had asked for advice. The minister was concerned with how primary, secondary and MBO (vocational education) should be brought to date, according to NOS.

The Education Council notes that schools should already prepare in advance in case they continue to remain closed after the May holidays (usually taking place between the end of April and beginning of May) and should also be guided by the government.

More to be announced next Tuesday

Next Tuesday, the cabinet will announce whether or not schools will remain closed after the May break. If schools are closed, the Education Council advocates for schools to open earlier in the next school year. According to Edith Hooge, the chairman of the Council, “if the learning interruption lasts longer than six weeks, problems will grow.”

Students with difficult home lives will suffer

The Council is also concerned about students coming from vulnerable backgrounds, such as situations in which home is not necessarily a safe place, or where there is inadequate supervision of students and computer use. These students are at a greater educational risk, and the council believes that they should be granted with additional support during these times.

Additionally, the Council has suggested that perhaps summer school might be an option for students that cannot study at home, with a focus not just on education but also on social and emotional development.

Starting up again

The Education Council advises that not all schools should be opened up at once, but gradually in order for the government to help teachers get the support they need in order determine the levels that students are in, what support they should be given as well as how to proceed.

The Dutch government will try to integrate the advice of the Education Council into its policy. Slob emphasises that emergency care is given to children from difficult circumstances, and that the cabinet will do its utmost best to ensure that schools don’t fall behind in their curricula.

Do you think it’s a good idea to start schools early in the coming school year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Feature Image: Lucélia Ribeiro/Flickr

5,300 coronavirus infections reported in nursing homes

Vlad Moca-Grama
-
0
5,300 coronavirus infections reported in nursing homes

The elderly are among the most vulnerable of groups when it comes to the risk brought about by the coronavirus.

Nursing homes pose a danger during this current crisis due to the close proximity of many elderly. A recent report by the NRC estimates that there are around 5,300 coronavirus cases in nursing homes according to NOS.

120,000 people live in nursing homes in the Netherlands

The data of sick people in nursing homes was obtained through the two main digital databases on nursing homes, Ysis and Ons.

According to the report by the NRC, the Ysis database has recorded 629 deaths and 358 recoveries in nursing homes. The Ons database does not record any of the mortalities.

Only half of the sick elderly have been tested for coronavirus, while the rest display symptoms which closely resemble the virus. This is in line with the RIVM policy of only testing and registering serious cases.

Because of the RIVM policy, some of these cases go unregistered in RIVM’s count. A professional association for geriatric medicine called Verenso has been collecting data on coronavirus cases over the last week.

The nursing homes report the deaths of patients suspected of coronavirus to the Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands. According to one of their reports, 2,000 people died in just one week (30 March-6 April).

This comes in the context that there is suspicion that coronavirus cases are underreported in nursing homes. Last week, half of the elderly in the dementia wing in a nursing home died from the virus.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for all coronavirus-related news in the Netherlands.

Dutch cabinet reacts to Trump suspending WHO funding

Vedika Luthra
-
1
Dutch cabinet reacts to Trump suspending WHO funding

Yesterday it was announced that American president, Donald Trump had decided to suspend funding from the World Health Organisation. In response, the Netherlands expressed its support towards the association. 

President Trump announced America’s withdrawal of funds from WHO after criticising it for “severely managing” the coronavirus crisis. Furthermore, he bashed the organisation’s relationship with China, stressing that China should have been condemned more.

The US contributes 15% of the WHO’s budget (which equates to $400 million) and since the WHO is currently working hard to combat the spread of COVID-19, withdrawal of funds isn’t really helping the situation. In times like these when the world should be coming together to combat the global pandemic, America never fails to disappoint us.

Dutch response

In response to Trump, yesterday the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag took to Twitter in order to stress Dutch support for WHO. The Minister stated:

“The Netherlands supports the WHO. It is important that the WHO can continue to do its job well in this global corona crisis. Now is not the time to turn off the money tap. Now all our energy is needed to overcome this crisis. International cooperation is vital.”

Kaag illustrates the views of pretty much most of us around the world.

According to NLTimes, Members of Parliament from coalition parties CDA, D66, ChristienUnie and urged Kaag and other EU members to ensure that the US doesn’t stop its funding and that the EU should come to aid the WHO.

Do you think the US is justified in quitting the WHO? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Feature Image: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Government pledges 300 million euros to support cultural sector

Vlad Moca-Grama
-
0
Government pledges 300 million euros to support cultural sector

The cultural sector has been severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak, as museums, musical venues and theatres have had to close. There are concerns in the cultural sector that there will be a loss of turnover of up to one billion euros by the first of June.

Thankfully, the Government has made a support package worth 300 million euros, reports NOS.

For cultural institutions of vital interest

The package is intended to support cultural institutions for the next couple of months, but they can also use the money to prepare for next season.

The Minister of Culture, Van Engelshoven, has expressed his satisfaction with the package, saying: “Culture matters. It is precisely in this time of crisis that it is clear how important art is: to offer comfort, distraction, and hope.”

Nevertheless, the package is not intended for all the cultural institutions in the Netherlands: just for those which are of vital interest.

This support package will subsidise festivals and cultural institutions that have already been supported for the past couple of years by the six national culture funds in the Netherlands. Examples of such institutions that will benefit include the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam, the Open Air Museum, the Theater Group in Maastricht and Oerolfestival.

Some of the money will also go to the National Restoration Fund, making it easier for other cultural institutions to borrow money from there. Smaller provincial museums, theaters and musical venues may also qualify for the money in the National Restoration Fund.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest news on all coronavirus-related topics in the Netherlands.

Image: Roman Boed/Wikimedia Commons 

 

Number of ICU beds needed will decrease to normal levels by 1 May, OMT expects

Ailish Lalor
-
0
Number of ICU beds needed will decrease to normal levels by 1 May, OMT expects

According to the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), intensive care units will go back down to their regular capacity by 1 May. That means, in practice, that there will be 1200 total beds, of which 700 will be occupied by coronavirus patients, RTL Nieuws reports.

Currently, the Netherlands has managed to double its total ICU capacity, with 2400 beds available nationally, of which 1900 are available to coronavirus patients. Intensive care units all across the country were expanded to deal with the crisis.

As of yesterday, 1279 of those 1900 beds were occupied, a number that has been decreasing by 20-30 people per day for the last three days.

“Society as we had it will not suddenly return”

However, yesterday at the press conference, Rutte stressed that normal life was not about to resume, just because the number of patients in the ICU was going down: “society as we had it will not suddenly return,” He warned that even if the trend in the numbers continued to look favourable, only a step-by-step relaxation of certain regulations could be expected on 28 April. That is the best case scenario.

Relaxation of the rules could lead to more people in ICUs

He also addressed the problem that a relaxation of the rules might lead to more patients in the ICU again, yesterday, noting that while opening up schools and businesses again would take the pressure off families (especially financially), it would definitely increase the number of people out and about and in public transport.

Three criteria before rules can be relaxed

The government has said that in order for normal life to begin to resume once again, three criteria need to be met. There needs to be less pressure on the healthcare system, there needs to be sufficient testing capacity, and there needs to be a way to track infections.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for updates about coronavirus in the Netherlands. 

Feature Image: Calleamanecer/Wikimedia Commons 

Rutte: coronavirus numbers are definitely improving, but “stick with it”

Ailish Lalor
-
0
Rutte: coronavirus numbers are definitely improving, but “stick with it”

This evening, Prime Minister Rutte and Minister de Jonge held a press conference at 19:00 to discuss the current state of affairs regarding the coronavirus crisis in the Netherlands. This comes after the cabinet met this evening.

There were no big revelations of new rules: instead, the press conference is part of the government’s strategy to take the public along with them in the decision making process. Rutte began by thanking people for keeping to the social distancing rules during the sunny Easter weekend, and he emphasised that those who had not kept to the rules were both a minority and had been punished.

The more we follow the rules, the sooner we can relax them

He also reiterated that the more people followed the rules, the sooner we could think about loosening them. In response to a question from an NOS reporter, Rutte said that he very much hoped that specific rules could be loosened from the 28 April onwards, but that it was also possible that the current lockdown might be completely continued, if the numbers (of deaths, IC beds, hospitalisations and cases) did not look good.

Both Rutte and de Jonge brought up the three criteria again, which we heard about last week. In order for the government to allow the lockdown to end, there needs to be less pressure on the healthcare system, there needs to be a way to track infections, and there needs to be sufficient test capacity.

Relaxing specific rules, not normal life

Rutte said that it would be impossible for the Netherlands to open completely and go back to normal life on 28 April; the only possibility would be the loosening of specific rules. He encouraged businesses, schools, and cultural institutions to draw up plans of how they could reopen, while keeping to the 1.5m rule.

No face masks for Dutchies

De Jonge was grilled on why the Netherlands is not advising its citizens to wear face masks, as Belgium and Germany, for example, are. He stated that it was both unnecessary to do so, and would potentially have a negative effect on the healthcare system, where face masks are still in short supply. His views were based on the advice of the RIVM. He did admit, in response to follow up questions, that the expert advice from the RIVM was definitely influenced by the scarcity of masks the Netherlands is dealing with.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more updates on coronavirus in the Netherlands. 

Feature Image: Still press conference Rutte. 

Coronavirus update April 15: 189 new deaths, and 188 new hospitalisations

Ailish Lalor
-
0
Coronavirus update April 15: 189 new deaths, and 188 new hospitalisations

The RIVM has published the latest numbers on the coronavirus in the Netherlands. As of today, Wednesday, 15 April, there are a total of 28,153 (confirmed) cases in the country with 734 new cases. There are also 188 new hospitalisations, bringing the total to 9127, and 189 new deaths reported, bringing the total to 3134.

The number of deaths is higher than we have come to expect over the last few days, but it is good to see that the number of hospitalisations is significantly less than yesterday.

As of yesterday, Tuesday, the numbers for the week prior were fully up to date. As you might know, there is often a delay in reporting deaths and hospitalisations, but this becomes accurate each week on Tuesday for the week before, according to the RIVM.

What’s happening with the ICU beds?

As of yesterday, the number of filled IC beds was 1303, which is way under capacity. It is also the third day in a row that we have seen a decrease in the number of occupied IC beds. Hopefully this is a sign of the curve flattening.

What else is going on with coronavirus in the Netherlands?

Student housing units do not qualify as households

Seventeen students were fined this weekend for being out in public together, raising the question of whether those who live in student housing together should be counted as households or not. According to the police, they do not. But do students really deserve the condemnation they received from the public about this?

What will King’s Day look like this year?

From bells to national anthems to a special NOS broadcast, the details of this year’s King’s Day have been revealed. Of course, it’s going to be very different from usual, but hopefully will still be a heartwarming day. What are your plans for celebrating it (indoors)?

Least boring jigsaw puzzle ever

A woman discovered a jigsaw puzzle box full of ecstasy pills in her garage, while doing a bit of spring cleaning. She reported the find to the police, and explained that she had received the package in the mail four years ago, and hadn’t known what to do with it, so just kept it in the shed.

Delft students create ventilator design in just three weeks

Within three weeks, students at TU Delft have created a ventilator design, in order to help with the potential shortage of ventilators as a result of coronavirus. The government has put in an order of 500 machines with them, which should be delivered by the end of April.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for all coronavirus-related news in the Netherlands.

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Two murderers from Breda disappeared without a trace

Vlad Moca-Grama
-
0
Two murderers from Breda disappeared without a trace

Two men who committed murder back in 2018, who are supposed to now serve their sentence of 20 years, have disappeared.

The police are asking for any leads on the case, and the men are known in the media as the ‘flat jumpers’, reports NOS. The two men are Azzeddine Azahaf (28) and Anel Bijedic (29).

Police are asking for help

The police have requested help with the case, asking the public to call their investigation tip hotline, if the men are seen anywhere. Any whereabouts of the place where they are hiding are also requested.

The police have stressed that if you do see them to not approach them on your own, but to call 112, as the suspects are armed and dangerous.

Flat jumpers

Back in 2018, the police chased them down to the flat where they committed the murder, and in an attempt to escape from the police, they jumped out the window from the third floor, leading them to have the nickname ‘flat jumpers.’

Questions have been raised about why two murderers were able to escape with such apparent ease.

They were detained for a year and a half after that and were released in October 2019 pending their trial. On April 9, 2020, they were sentenced to 20 years in prison, but have since run away.

Feature Image: Opsporing Verzocht

1...663664665...758Page 664 of 758