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Sunnier days ahead, with temperatures at 15 degrees or above

Vedika Luthra
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Sunnier days ahead, with temperatures at 15 degrees or above

Over the first two days of this week, the temperature dropped significantly and perhaps you reconsidered putting away your winter gear last week. But fear not, from today onwards the sun is back out and here to stay for a while. 

Last week, it appeared as if the whole country was out and about. The temperature soared over 23 degrees: it seemed that winter was well behind us. Hello, Spring. But on Monday and Tuesday, the sky was cloudy and the air cold due to frigid winds blowing from the North Sea.

15 degrees and higher this week

Now things are looking up. RTLNieuws reports that starting today the temperature will reach 15 degrees and will be sunny.

Tomorrow, temperatures will rise to between 19 and 20 degrees, which is higher than the average spring temperature of 13 degrees. Friday will be slightly colder, with an average of 16 degrees.

During the weekend, it is expected to be somewhat cloudy but warmer/sunnier weather will resume during the week.

Keep the coronavirus measures in mind

Although the sun’s out and it’s perhaps tempting to take advantage of the outdoors, keep in mind that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. This means that if you do decide to take advantage of the warm weather, make sure to respect the measures in place (keeping a distance of 1.5 meters, no groups larger than three people).

And if possible, stay indoors as much as you can.

These measures are difficult, restricting and sometimes frustrating. But they are in place for a reason, and as hard as they might be, we are still obliged to respect them for ourselves and for those around us.

How are you taking advantage of the sun (in a corona-friendly way?) Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: Abuzer van Leeuwen/supplied. 

Police release video of arsonist who set fire to Groningen radio tower

Ailish Lalor
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Police release video of arsonist who set fire to Groningen radio tower

A video has been released of the man who set fire to a radio tower in Groningen last Friday. There have been a series of these arson attacks on radio towers, though it is not clear if this particular man is responsible for any of the others, NOS reports.

Over the past two weeks, thirteen radio towers have been set on fire by arsonists. There is a possibility that this is connected with the recent controversy over the introduction of 5G to the Netherlands.

5G controversy increased as a result of coronavirus

The controversy around 5G has only increased in recent months, as some activists claim that there is a connection between it and coronavirus. There is no scientific evidence for this; nor is there any for the idea that 5G causes health problems in general. The police don’t yet know if the recent radio tower arson attacks are connected to each other, or to the movement against 5G, but do consider both as a possibility.

Fires were lit in the same way

The arson attacks were all carried out in the same way as this most recent one, police report in a statement to Opsporing Verzocht: “It seems that the fires are lit in the same way as in Groningen. A flammable substance, often petrol, is poured over it and set on fire.”

5G groups emphatically distance themselves from arsonist: “this makes no sense”

Groups who have organised against 5G, such as ‘5G Den Haag’ and ‘5G, Het Gooi zegt Nee’, have expressed their condemnation of these arson attacks. “We have no idea who is behind these fires, but this makes no sense and we distance ourselves from this. We are very disappointed by this and it harms us,” says Georgette Polderman from the group “5G Den Haag”.

Considerable danger to the arsonist and the fire brigade

Police warn that there is considerable danger to the perpetrator(s) of this type of arson. “There is a lot of volts on the power cables that run there. So you can easily be electrocuted. Therefore it is also very dangerous for the fire brigade.”

Arson attacks disrupting emergency services

It is not only the fire brigade that is at risk as a result of these arson attacks: they really couldn’t come at a worse time for ambulances. If a radio tower is out of action, emergency services can be uncontactable. In the times of coronavirus, emergency workers are under enough strain as it is, without having to worry that either people won’t be able to call them in an emergency, or they will have to go out of contact with the operator when they go to help someone in need.

The police are asking people with information to come forward

The man shown in the video is white, about 190cm, and looks to be between 20 and 30 years of age. The car he used to commit the crime was a black or blue Toyota Aygo, a model from 2014.

The police have asked anyone who may know this individual to come forward, as well as anyone who has noticed anything suspicious that might be connected to the thirteen arson attacks over the last two weeks as well.

Feature image: Screencap of video released by Opsporing Verzocht. 

Innovative Delft students create ventilator design in just three weeks

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Innovative Delft students create ventilator design in just three weeks

Some great innovation news has arrived from our one and only TU Delft: there, some students have managed to make their own ventilators to aid the breathing of patients in ICU’s.

Over the past few months, researchers, scientists and medical staff have been working hard to innovate and help with the current coronavirus outbreak. These students have achieved impressive success.

The AIRone

The ventilator developed by the TU Delft students is called the ‘AIRone’. The ventilator was developed over a period of only three weeks, starting from mid-March, when concerns were raised that there are might be a shortage of ventilators.

The Ministry of Health has already placed an order of 500 ventilators from the students. While the device still needs to go through some final testing procedures, by Thursday it should be up and running in an assembly line in the TU Delft campus.

The students have even received a subsidy from the Ministry of Economic Affairs so that they can successfully implement and develop their ventilator. Professor Jaap Harlaar, who is supervising the students, expects that the 500 ventilators will be delivered by end of April.

Increase in ventilator production

Other companies have been quick to ramp up their production of ventilators. Philips, for example, produces under normal circumstances 500 ventilators a week but is now making 1000 of them, with the goal of reaching 4000 ventilators per week.

The Ministry of Health ordered from Philips 1000 ventilators, but a majority of them have not yet arrived in the Netherlands.  Philips is also delivering ventilators to places where the demand is high due to the outbreak.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs does encourage local production of all the pieces of the ventilator, in order to avoid competition on the world market. Some other companies that have worked hard to develop ventilators locally in the Netherlands include Demcom and the FreeBreathing project.

In any case, the ventilator developed by the TU Delft students has earned them praise from medical staff, who’ve praised the students for developing such a device quickly and with limited resources.

It’s even got attention from other countries. The UK, for example, has requested some of the ventilators made in TU Delft. While they won’t be exported there, the blueprints will be made available for free so that any country with the necessary pieces can make a ventilator themselves.

Excited for all these local technological innovations? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: J. van Rosmalen/Wikimedia Commons 

Woman discovers 530 ecstasy pills in puzzle box in the garage

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Woman discovers 530 ecstasy pills in puzzle box in the garage

During this quarantine, some of us might feel inclined to do something we’ve been postponing for too long. That is, going up in the attic or garage and sorting out through all the dust and cobwebs and long-forgotten objects.

Be it a spring clean or a quarantine clean, looking through old stuff is always bound to give you some surprises. You can imagine then, the surprise and shock of a woman who ended up finding a stash of ecstasy pills in an old puzzle box, reports RTL Nieuws.

530 ecstasy pills

The discovery, which is enough to make any music festival dealer very jealous, was then reported to the police.

What is known so far is that four years ago, a woman received the puzzle box through her mail, without any sender listed. Not knowing what to do with it, the woman put the box in her garage.

Four years later, with quarantine cleaning on her mind, the woman started to sort out through objects in her garage. In the unsuspecting puzzle box of Disney’s ‘Planes 2’ film, she found not only the jigsaw pieces, but also 530 ecstasy pills.

It is not known who the sender is and the police have since started an investigation.

What’s the weirdest thing you ever found in an old box in your garage or attic? Let us know in the comments!

Feature Image: Wijkagent Bas Dirkmaat/Instagram

Do student units count as households for the purpose of coronavirus regulations?

Vedika Luthra
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Do student units count as households for the purpose of coronavirus regulations?

When students living together in student houses exit their rooms and enter the public, they are immediately ordered to return home by the police, and are threatened with fines. But since they live together, they are technically adhering to the rules. Are they at fault?

Keeping a distance of 1.5 meters is the golden rule in today’s day and age. The advice, however, doesn’t apply to members of the same family who are living together — or to households in general for that matter, since those that live together are in close contact with each other all the time.

Thus, they are allowed to take walks together or sit outside in closer proximity. But what about in the case of student houses, where 15 or more live together and share bathroom and shower facilities, as well as cooking areas? This is the case in facilities such as the IBB housing complex in Utrecht run by the student housing provider SSH. Theoretically, this should be possible, RTLNieuws reports. 

Students at the IBB complex of Utrecht watching a football match outside (in the pre-corona era) (source: Meral van Leeuwen)

Public condemnation and outcry

These groups often receive condemnation from the public, although they aren’t necessarily doing anything wrong by being together outside since they live together. But last Thursday, 17 residents of the Uilenstede student housing complex in Amstelveen were each fined €390 for sitting and talking outside, according to RTLNieuws.

Due to concerns, Amstelveen defined households:

and stated explicitly that “student units were NOT included.”

In some student houses, there isn’t a backyard, a balcony or even a common space, points out Daan Roovers, the chairman of SSH. Roovers has written to the mayor Utrecht asking for clarity on the situation.

The case for considering student houses as one household

Students are in a particularly vulnerable position during this crisis. For one, they live at the same address (sounds like a household, right) and can’t apply for rent subsidies, which many of them are in need of since most work flexible hospitality jobs to cover rent and living. They’re also living away from home (particularly those internationals) and therefore could especially vulnerable to mental health issues such as loneliness and depression.

If the measures continue for months, it could have severe consequences on them. So would it really be that bad if their unit was considered a household?

Should student units be included as “households?” Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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

Feature Image: Supplied/Meral van Leeuwen

Coronavirus update April 14: 868 new cases, with 210 new hospitalisations and 122 deaths

Vlad Moca-Grama
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Coronavirus update April 14: 868 new cases, with 210 new hospitalisations and 122 deaths

The RIVM has published the latest numbers on the coronavirus in the Netherlands. As of today, Tuesday, April 14, there are a total of 27,419 cases in the country with 868 new cases. There are also 210 new hospitalisations and 122 new deaths reported.

The numbers for hospitalisations and mortality are a bit higher than yesterday, and that was more or less expected as Tuesday usually sees a hike in stats due to delayed reporting from the weekend. IC-units are also freeing up, here is yesterday’s number:

The number of cases in the Netherlands continues to rise, as the police are giving out fines left and right to people breaking social distancing measures.

700,000 euros worth of fines given over the past weekend

With good weather and an extended weekend, it was not unexpected that people would go out during this Easter break. Nevertheless, people must still respect the necessary distance imposed by social distancing measures.

The police was busy over this weekend handing out fines to people not respecting the rules, raking up an impressive 700,000 euros worth of fines. We hope that the money is put to good use in tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

Tulip bulbs cut to dissuade visitors

The tulip fields are in full bloom and filled with vibrant colours. Sadly, people are flocking to witness this beauty of nature.

To dissuade visitors from coming, some owners of the fields have ended up cutting down the tulip bulbs. While this is a saddening decision, it is necessary to do so in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus even further.

Calls to freeze rent by left-wing parties

Some left-wing parties have asked the House of Representatives to consider freezing rents during the coronavirus outbreak.

As the outbreak has affected people’s jobs and incomes, the purpose of this measure is to protect those who are financially vulnerable due to the situation. Requests have also been made to cancel all evictions for the time being.

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

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Leiden University crowdfunding campaign raises more than half a million euros for coronavirus research

Vedika Luthra
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Leiden University crowdfunding campaign raises more than half a million euros for coronavirus research

A crowdfunding campaign for Leiden University has raised over half a million euros for research on coronavirus in just a month. 

We are very happy with the donations, says Eric Snijder, a professor of molecular virology at LUMC. The money will be invested in research as soon as possible, according to NOS.

Traditional methods of acquiring funds for such initiatives takes years. However, a crowdfunding campaign speeds up the process in that it minimises the time needed for approval and paperwork.

About the project

The project, #Wakeuptocorona at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) has been set up to “characterise this virus in detail and test potential virus inhibitors and vaccine candidates,” according to the campaign. More than 2 million euros is needed in total to carry out the project successfully.

Currently, several laboratories in the Netherlands are working on research into coronavirus. The LUMC has a lab, and would like to set up a second one for the purposes listed above.

Happy to help

“I get the impression that people are happy to be able to contribute to something,” says Snijder. Many of the comments on the page demonstrated enthusiasm for the project — some do-gooders donated money during Easter, since not much can be done during the holidays given the circumstances. Others donated since corona has hit them or their families hard.

Everyone can relate to the efforts on some level. You can find out more or donate yourself at the crowdfunding website.

Follow the DutchReview Facebook page for more updates about coronavirus in the Netherlands. 

Feature Image: DutchReview/Canva

Local law enforcement officers attacked for implementing social distancing measures

Vlad Moca-Grama
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0
Local law enforcement officers attacked for implementing social distancing measures

Unfortunately, despite the serious situation that we are in due to the coronavirus crisis, some people still aren’t behaving accordingly.

Even worse, a group of 12 local law enforcers (BOAs) were attacked yesterday in Rotterdam, as they were trying to administrate social distancing measures, reports RTL Nieuws.

Street fight

The event occurred around 5:40 PM yesterday, when two boas stopped a group of six young people because they were breaking social distancing rules.

Right afterwards, 14 other young people showed up and started a brawl with the boas. The law enforcers pressed an emergency button, bringing 10 more boas at the scene.

It took the police around 10 minutes to arrive at the scene, with the boas having to defend themselves in the meantime.

Treatment at hospital

Two of the boas had to be treated at the hospital for their injuries. One of them even had to go through surgery as he had a ruptured Achilles tendon. Another one had one of his fingers dislocated.

The other colleagues have returned home, but are in a state of understandable shock. The police managed to arrest two of the youth, but the rest managed to escape.

Spike in violence

Erik Lankeman of the Dutch BOA association has said that little attention has been given towards violence against boas, which has only increased since the coronavirus outbreak.

The boas have requested the Minister of Justice and Security for access to defence, for instance, by being armed. This, however, has been opposed by the police.

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

Feature Image: Abuzer Van Leeuwen/Supplied

700,000 euros worth in fines collected over Easter weekend

Vedika Luthra
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700,000 euros worth in fines collected over Easter weekend

This weekend (Friday-Monday), the police issued 1800 fines for people who were violating the coronavirus measures in place.

The fines were imposed on people who were in groups exceeding three people, and who did not keep a distance of 1,5 meters, according to RTLNieuws. The police note that the fines do not give a complete image of the situation as a whole — many people were outside.

According to a tweet (see below), that means €700,000 worth in fines. Perhaps that’s not so bad considering the state of the economy.

To put it into perspective, prior to last weekend, 1400 fines were issued for a full week-and-a-half.

Warm weather

The past weekend was the warmest it has been this far in the Netherlands, with temperatures climbing to over 23 C. With limited activities to partake in during coronavirus, people are spending more time outdoors. Furthermore, RTLNieuws reports that many young people were seen in groups.

Tulip bulbs cut to dissuade visitors

Tulip bulbs are to be cut in order to prevent the colour in the fields and deter visitors, who, despite warnings, barriers and road blocks, found their way to admire and awe at the fields.

It should be noted that measures are put into place for a reason and should still be adhered to regardless of age, or weather.

Feature Image: Oxyman/Wikimedia Commons

Call to freeze rent by left-wing political parties during the coronavirus outbreak

Vlad Moca-Grama
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0
Call to freeze rent by left-wing political parties during the coronavirus outbreak

The current coronavirus outbreak brings about another big uncertainty besides health concerns, namely the economic aspect. As businesses cut costs, people get laid off and it becomes exceedingly difficult to pay rent as well as cover other basic utilities.

In this context, some political parties consider that not enough is being done at the moment to protect tenants, reports RTL Nieuws. They are therefore proposing to freeze rent in order to allow for greater protection of tenants. Rent freezing involves not allowing rental prices to rise for a period of time.

Debate on freezing rent

PvdA, SP, and GroenLinks are the main political parties backing up the concept of freezing rent, as well as not allowing tenants to be evicted during this period of time.

The House of Representatives will meet tomorrow to debate an emergency law implemented by Minister Stientje van Veldhoven (Environment and Housing), which will allow temporary rental contracts to be extended so that tenants do not risk getting kicked out.

The three political parties mentioned above need to add further amendments to the law and provide even more extensive protection to tenants.

Concerns over loss of income

The primary motivation for the amendments is the concerns that many people who’ve lost their income have. The situation means they are unable to pay rent.

Agreements have already been made by Minister van Veldhoven with housing corporations such as Aedas and investment organizations such as Vastgoed Belang and IVBN, to spare tenants who are in trouble during the coronavirus crisis.

“All housing evictions must be postponed”, iterate MPs Henk Nijboer (PvdA), Sandra Beckerman (SP) and Paul Smeulders (GroenLinks). They’ve also stated that no temporary contract should be cancelled, even in the case that a landowner wishes to demolish his property. And if that is the scenario, the property demolition also needs to be postponed.

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

Feature Image: na4ev/Pixabay

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