Coronavirus/CoVid-19/Pandemic/Health

Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 24 April 2020

Here are new updates from the last two days. Sorry for the delay, but also I had a huge migraine and I had to take my time.

Update 24 April 2020

Dutch TV program Tegenlicht has made a documentary about the Coronavirus in China. Sunday 26th of April, they wanted to broadcast it on the Dutch TV. VPRO, the TV company behind Tegenlicht, said that there are strong clues that a person from China this documentary will be in danger. So, VPRO withdraws the broadcast. A statement states: “The VPRO stands for independent journalism and is willing to go to great lengths to bring new stories and perspectives, but we are drawing a line where people’s safety is at stake.” The exact target of the threat remains unclear.

The Dutch Railway must look and think about how they able to travel their customers within the one-and-a-half-meter-distance-society. Next week, the Dutch Railway will use more trains to transport more train passengers. Also, they will look at how they can make the translations safer. “When society becomes more active again, we will also have to think about face masks,” says NS CEO Roger van Boxtel.

Forum for Democracy leader Thierry Baudet handled information about a company that can supply four million face masks. Three days ago, Baudet said in a parliamentary debate that it was not so difficult to get millions of certified mouth masks to the Netherlands within a few days. Baudet knew an entrepreneur who could deliver these masks soon. Baudet handed over the details to Minister De Jonge. The minister reacted very surprisedly, but he promised to go after it immediately. Unfortunately, these masks do not meet European requirements, that is what sources around the ministry say. It would now appear that this entrepreneur could not provide the correct certificates and test reports. He also did not provide a test sample to determine quality. The National Consortium for Aids cannot, therefore, determine whether the mouth masks can be used by healthcare providers. The ministry is committed to getting decent mouth masks. The ministry previously made a mistake when it emerged that a large batch of mouth masks from China did not meet the requirements. Some 600,000 mouth masks that had already been delivered to hospitals were subsequently taken back. Since then, an extensive control network has been set up in the Netherlands and in China, where most caps come from. According to the sources around the ministry, the consortium is offered daily masks through various channels. Before they are purchased, they are first checked. This is done by assessing the official certificates and a physical check.

Owners who are having a second home in the province Zeeland are allowed to stay there again. Also, a few accommodations are allowed to rent. Another relaxation of measurements is not allowed, according to the Zeeland Safety Region not possible for the time being: “The appeal of Zeeland is great and free influx can, therefore, be irresponsible.” That is why they want to accept guests in small steps because it is not responsible if they allow more people. Zeeland is a region where a lot of people come to. The Zeeland Safety Region thinks that 15 percent of the accommodations could be rent again. Next week, they will let know when they relax the measurement.

“We are really not there yet,” said Prime Minister Rutte at his weekly press conference after the government meeting, also discussing the Coronavirus crisis. He also said he empathizes with everyone affected by the crisis; companies and people at home. Rutte discussed possible relaxation of the measures: “I tell entrepreneurs that we want to announce easing as soon as possible.” However, the prime minister believes that this should be done as carefully as possible: “If we relax more quickly now, and the virus breaks out again, you run the enormous risk that another wave will arrive that the care cannot handle. So it has to be done with enormous caution.” A number of sectors have ideas about how they can work corona-proof, but that is not the only condition, says Rutte: “There are restaurant owners who say: I have a plan in place. Cinema owners who say: I take some seats out. But then more people come out on the street, more people in public transport. And then the chance of transmission of the Coronavirus increases.” The Prime Minister also says he wants to say that we could relax from the measurements: “The sooner the better, but there are still a lot of people in the ICU. You have to weigh that.” If there are no measures, an estimated 23,000 people would have been in intensive care, according to Rutte: “I would also like to point out that 25 to 40 people are still admitted to IC every day.” The Prime Minister also asks people to stay at home on King’s Day and at most to go outside to get fresh air.

Minister Hoekstra of Finance, Dutch finance is fine. Only we have to go through this difficult phase. Our health is more important at the moment. He also sees that everyone is trying to cope with this situation of the Coronavirus pandemic. Everyone wants to get back to work.

The government will give entrepreneurs and freelancers another six financial support measurements. It is about temporarily taxing reduction. It is about 4 billion euros and this must be — a big part — in the government treasury.

The government counts with a budget deficit of 92 billion euros. That says the government spring bill. This will be 11,8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Last year, that was 14 billion. Minister Hoekstra thinks that we owe a significant shrinkage to the Coronavirus crisis. He thinks that the national debt will end up 65 percent of the GDP. “We won’t see it outside of wartime”, Hoekstra said.

On the ferry in Amsterdam, people did not keep the 1.5-meter distance as it should. This ferry goes from Amsterdam Central Station to Amsterdam-North. It was very busy, even we have the Coronavirus measurements. On the video moves, you will see people being close to each other.

It is almost King’s Day. The day of the birthday King Willem Alexander. Dutch people will celebrate King’s birthday. Normally he goes to a city where he will find out more about this wonderful city. Also to know them better. There will be markets in cities and villages with people playing music, selling their stuff. When King Willem Alexander goes to the city, it will be broadcasted live on TV. But this year, it will be different as if the Coronavirus is in The Netherlands. Monday, they will celebrate his birthday at home in the Palace Huis ten Bosch. They will celebrate with us on the new website of ‘Koningsdag Thuis’, an initiative of the Royal Association of Orange Associations and others. There will King Willem Alexander and his family show us what they are doing during the day. At 10 o’clock, the King will give a speech and at 16 o’clock he will end Kingsday with a National Toast. Initially, the king and his entourage would celebrate his 53rd birthday in Maastricht, but that is canceled because of the corona crisis. Because celebrating at home is central, the association of Orange Associations has renamed this day as Home Day.

The Dutch Broadcast Association NOS will broadcast an episode of Kingsday. In this episode presenter, Astrid Kersseboom looks back to the last six Kingsdays. This will be broadcasted on Monday from 10.10–11.40h on NPO 1. Also, there is a special Coronavirus episode of Kingsday on how we celebrate Kingsday on this Coronatime. Winfried Baijens goes on the road through eleven of the twelve provinces. This will be presented by Amber Brantsen and it will broadcast Monday 27th April from 19–19.50h on NPO 1.

The founder of Bluetooth, Dutch Jappa Haartsen, says that this technique — using Bluetooth for corona-apps — is not useful for those apps. He says that Bluetooth is not precise with the measure for distance in contact research for Corona. “How far Bluetooth reach for signal leads to not trustable results”, says Haartsen in a conversation with the site Computable. He also says: “Both how the government has handled this and how society deals with it. It is one big media circus where 17 million experts were allowed to give their ‘opinion’ on a weekend. That is why I deliberately kept myself aside. It is a complicated puzzle. to expect that this could be developed within a few weeks, then you are doing the field a bit short.” He also says that the way the government handles the corona-app is very amateurish. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport asked designers to come up with a proposal for an app that can help detect people who have had contact with someone who was later diagnosed with corona. These people could therefore also be infected themselves. Many designers came up with proposals that use Bluetooth. After all, submissions were found unsuitable last weekend, Minister De Jonge decided to have an app developed by himself via a consortium.

Minister Slob says he preferably want primary school students to go whole days to school. Primary school students are supposed to go to school all day from May 11, and not just for half a day. Minister Slob emphasized this before the start of the weekly government meeting. Half-day solutions are emphatically not the starting point, according to Slob: “Full days are important because it is better suited to childcare and because it leads to fewer transport movements than when working with half days.” So, this means that half of the students go to school per day. The government announced on Tuesday evening that the schools should partly reopen after the May holiday, but leave it to the schools themselves to explain how they will do this. One of the options is to let children come to school for half days. Unions and the umbrella of school boards are like Slob by half days.

Wadden islands want more money from the government as the economy of the Wadden islands is damaged a lot during the Coronaviruds crisis. In an urgent letter, the islands ask Secretary of State Keijzer for specific support “now that the flow of tourists has completely dried up”. Entrepreneurs on the Wadden are, just like entrepreneurs in the rest of the country, eligible for initial government support of 4000 euros. But that support is insufficient, now that the tourist season is in danger of falling into the water. “This not only concerns companies that are directly dependent on tourism but also other branches, such as bakers, butchers, supermarkets, taxi companies, and bicycle rental companies,” the letter said. “In the longer term, the corona crisis also has consequences for construction companies, swimming pools, and museums.”, the letter says. “We are used to shelling our own beans,” says Ineke van Gent, Mayor of Schiermonnikoog. “But now it is a situation where things are getting more difficult.”, she continues. Van Gent wants a special emergency fund to be set up for the Wadden. Earlier this week, it was announced that the Cabinet will make emergency loans available to the ferry services to the Wadden.

Update 25 April 2020:

Scientists are very critical about the way the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) handles the situation. This team advises the government about the Coronavirus outbreak. Those advices are very secretive and it is not sure whether the advice is personal thoughts of the experts or about scientific research. Alex Friedrich, a microbiologist from Groningen, participated several times in the OMT consultation. He thinks that they should be more open about the progress of the internal discussions. He also has his doubts about the secrecy he has to take: “I’m not used to this as a scientist. We speak openly, we mainly contradict each other.” RIVM says that the statements of the OMT are not scientifically substantiated. It also says that it is not his job to deliver a “scientific dissertation”, instead “to provide the best possible professional advice at the time, based on the knowledge, experience, and debate of the broad group of experts”.

There will be video-animations for illiterate. This has been made by the Reading and Writing Foundation. That is meant for people who can’t read and write that well. There are about 2,5 million Dutch people who can’t read and write well.

At the border crossings at Roermond and nearby Vlodrop, there are traffic jams with Germans who want to come to the Netherlands. The Military Police sends them back if they don’t have to be in The Netherlands for emergencies.

The government will support financially the KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines). The government also says that there are Requirements the KLM needs to hold up to, such as salaries of their employees, distribution of dividends, and sustainability. It is between 2 and 4 billion euros. MPs emphasize that these conditions must also be complied with. Government party D66 wants, for example, that KLM and Air France reduce CO2 and that they perform fewer night flights, D66 MP Paternotte said via Twitter. PvdA MP Nijboer wants strict conditions about maintaining employment and not paying bonuses. SP leader Marijnissen says that support should only come “if we also get a say”. GroenLinks MP Kroger wants the conditions to become “concrete and accountable”. PVV leader Wilders tweeted: “Good to help KLM, but do something for the ordinary Dutchman.” Government party VVD does not elaborate further on the conditions. “KLM is vital to the Dutch economy. Tens of thousands of people earn their living directly or indirectly from it. Support is really necessary,” said VVD MP Dijkstra.

From next Wednesday, there will be a bridging loan for startups and it is called the Corona Bridging Loan. This is possible at the Regional Development Companies (ROMs), which implement the scheme. The bridging loan for growth companies was announced earlier this month by the cabinet. About 100 million euros was initially made available, The loans that the ROMs will provide will be between 50,000 and 2 million euros. For amounts above 250,000 euros, 25 percent co-financing is expected from shareholders or other investors. An interest rate of 3 percent is applied. The ROMs aim to process assessments of applications under € 500,000 within four to nine working days. For applications above 500,000 euros, they want to make a final decision within three working weeks. More information about criteria and applications can be found here.

Always check the (latest) facts with your country.

The numbers and stories are from yesterday or earlier this day. I haven’t seen new numbers so far, when there will be new numbers, rules and interesting situations here in The Netherlands, I will inform you.

Read more Coronavirus stories:

• Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 22 April 2020
• Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 20 and 21 April 2020
• Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 19 April 2020
• Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 18 April 2020
• Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 17 April 2020
• Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 16 April 2020
• The Coronavirus In The Netherlands — Update 14 April 2020
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• Coronavirus Stories and What Emotions do with us
• Coronavirus in The Netherlands — update 25 March 2020
• Coronavirus in The Netherlands — Update 22 and 23 March 2020
• Coronavirus: How To Live As Normal As Possible
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Agnes Laurens is a writer. She writes for the local newspaper. Agnes lives in Bunnik, The Netherlands, with her husband and three daughters. Writing is — aside from playing the violin — one of her passions since childhood. She is on Twitter and Instagram.

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