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Belgians think the Dutch corona approach is lax, but numbers are no better


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The outbreak in the Netherlands and Belgium started at about the same time. On February 26, the first corona patient was admitted to hospital in the Netherlands. In Belgium it was three days later. On March 17, more than a hundred new patients were admitted for the first time in both countries.

Since then, the reported number of admissions per day in Belgian hospitals has been higher on most days – especially if you convert it to the number of inhabitants. But that may also be due to the fact that corona patients in Belgium are admitted to hospital earlier than in the Netherlands. In that sense, it makes more sense to look at the trend. It is therefore strikingly equal.

The most important measures were therefore taken around the same date, although the Belgians were often a little earlier. In Belgium, for example, all schools and catering establishments closed on March 14 and in the Netherlands three days later. From March 18, Belgians were only allowed to go outside for essential trips. On March 23, it was announced in the Netherlands that people could no longer meet with more than three people.

Only the advice to people from Brabant to stay at home in case of complaints (March 6) and the advice to everyone to work at home in the same province (March 9) were taken early compared to the Belgian measures. Working from home on March 12 was the advice throughout the Netherlands. From March 19, it became the norm to work from home for all non-essential professions.

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