ZANDVOORT – With 24 new corona infections in the past week, Zandvoort is one of the Dutch municipalities where the virus is spreading the fastest. Figures from the RIVM show that the number of infections last week increased by 52 percent compared to a week earlier.
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The significant increase is not entirely unexpected: in recent weeks it became clear that more and more Zandvoort catering establishments were closing their doors because one or more employees turned out to be infected with the corona virus.
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RIVM figures show that the number of infections in Zandvoort increased significantly in the middle of last week. On Wednesday, August 12, the total number of infections in the coastal village was 50, a day later it was 57. Another day later the total number of infections was 65. The number of infections has now risen by one or two a day to 70. .
Much is still unclear about the cause, although Zandvoorters were already very concerned during the heat wave last week – when the place was visited en masse by beachgoers and sun worshipers. Erik Visser of the Kennemerland Safety Region says he is ‘studying’ the situation in close consultation with the GGD and the municipality of Zandvoort, and will provide a substantive response later today.
Mayor’s response
“Last week we saw that Zandvoort is going along with a trend that we see nationally, that more infections are taking place, especially among young people,” says Mayor Moolenburgh of Zandvoort against NH Nieuws. “But fortunately we see that it is already falling again. The GGD has everything under control very well, with everyone having contact, and has done source and contact research.”
“Some of the infections seem to have occurred outside Zandvoort. Everyone is strongly advised to adhere to advice and to stay indoors.” The mayor does not want to answer the question whether part of the infections has been contracted at a campsite on Terschelling. He acknowledges that Zandvoort is busy because of the summer holidays, “but we don’t see a trend that it is because many people come to Zandvoort.”
At the moment, the mayor sees no reason to close the catering industry locally, for example. “We have very intensive contact about this, but fortunately what we do see is that some catering entrepreneurs – with people with corona in their workforce – decide to close the business themselves.”
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The manager of the corona-hit sushi restaurant Zizo on the Burgemeester van Fenemaplein expressed his concern about the large number of tourists in the village and called on young people who had been in his business to be careful about visiting pubs in the village.
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Since Saturday, the outbreak in the coastal village seems to be leveling off somewhat, as one or two patients have been added daily in recent days.
Diemen
In addition to Zandvoort, the virus is also spreading rapidly in Diemen in North Holland. There, the number of corona patients rose by 19 percent last week. Enkhuizen is one of approximately sixty municipalities in the Netherlands where no new infection was registered last week.
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