The intelligent lockdown remains largely intact until the end of May to prevent the further spread of the new corona virus in the Netherlands. However, the cabinet has presented a “road map” that contains plans to get out of this intelligent lockdown. For example, hairdressers and other contact professions can open their doors again on 11 May and primary school children go back to school.
Follow in this live blog the most important developments around the corona crisis.
- Read the live blog of Wednesday back here.
- The number of corona deaths in the Netherlands has risen to 5,168.
- In total, 41,087 people in our country have so far been tested positive for the virus.
- The influx into hospitals seems to be leveling off: 11,126 corona patients have (have been) admitted to date.
- There are currently a total of 644 corona patients in intensive care.
- View the number of residents included per municipality on this map.
Update 10:11 – Dutch Safety Board will review government’s approach to the corona crisis
The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) is going to investigate how the government has tackled the corona crisis. This concerns preparation, crisis management and the exit strategy. The OVV announced this on Thursday.
The Dutch Safety Board also examines the effects of the corona crisis on the safety of vulnerable people in society, for example through the disappearance of regular care or social services. Medical treatment and economic support measures are not included in the research. The OVV hopes to come up with the findings in more than a year.
Update 09:50 – “Amusement parks and zoos are just allowed to open again”
Amusement parks and zoos do not need a green light from the cabinet to reopen the entrance gates. RIVM says this in response to questions from visitors on Twitter.
“The parks themselves took the decision to close, but this was not required by the government,” says the RIVM. “They can see for themselves whether they can open according to the guidelines or consult with the safety region.” In doing so, the parks must adhere to the basic rules drawn up by the cabinet. For example, it should be possible for visitors to keep 1.5 meters in queues and attractions and the maximum number of visitors should be limited to avoid crowds.
Read more.
Update 09:11 –Cabinet: major events have to wait for corona vaccine
Major events can only be held again if there is a vaccine against the coronavirus. Until then, the government thinks the danger is too great that it will revive.
Many of the strict measures against the coronavirus have been or will be relaxed in the near future. For example, the schools, catering, sports clubs and cultural institutions will reopen. But it will not come from major festivals and other “massive events with a rural appearance” for the time being, “Corona Minister” Hugo de Jonge writes to the House of Representatives.
Organizers and the public have to wait, because the cabinet cannot yet specify a date for the events. “We hope of course soon, but a year or more is very real.”
Update 08:22 – Nearly 7 million viewers follow Rutte press conference
The press conference that Prime Minister Mark Rutte held on Wednesday about the corona crisis has drawn nearly 7 million viewers. This is evident from the data published by the KijkOnderzoek Foundation on Thursday.
This means that there were slightly fewer people watching than at the previous major press conferences on this topic. On April 21, more than 7.8 million Dutch people were in front of television, which was the record so far.
Update 07:11 – “The Netherlands struggles en masse with a meter and a half distance”
The 1.5 meter society turns out to be a difficult story in practice. More than two thirds of the Dutch suffer from people who come too close in the supermarket or at work. This is evident from large-scale research by RIVM and the GGDs among 90,000 Dutch people.
The government announced on Wednesday that it would start society again little by little, with the 1.5 meter rule being one of the important pillars. Some 83 percent of the population also think that keeping a distance helps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
But almost three-quarters of the Dutch see others in the supermarket getting too close. Nearly two thirds of people who have to work outside the home suffer from this. Turning around or receiving visitors appears to keep your distance easier. A quarter of the population generally finds it difficult to adhere to the distance rule.
No more shaking hands (90 percent) and staying at home with a cold (89 percent) are the two measures that the Dutch expect the most effect from. Most hygiene advice appears to pose relatively few problems for the Dutch. No less than 99.5 percent say they no longer shake hands and three-quarters sneezes in the elbow. From now on, the RIVM and the GGD will carry out the investigation every two weeks, which will make it possible to map out how the Dutch approach to corona measures is changing.
Update 06:51 – “Fitness industry finds closure to September unacceptable”
Fitness industry organization NL Actief finds it “unacceptable” that the cabinet has decided to keep gyms closed until 1 September due to the corona virus. The industry association announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to NL Actief, the arguments used by the government to postpone relaxation, such as not being able to maintain a distance of one and a half meters, do not apply to the fitness industry. It is also a surprise to the sector organization that Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that he wanted to talk to the fitness sector about possible relaxation of the measures before 1 September.
Read more.
Update 06:32 – Chamber is debating relaxed corona measures
The House of Representatives will again debate Thursday with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and “Corona Minister” Hugo de Jonge about the measures to prevent the spread of the corona virus. Some of those measures were relaxed on Wednesday. In addition, the cabinet has presented a “road map” on how certain measures will be phased out in the near future.
Before the debate, the parties are brought up to date by RIVM leader Jaap van Dissel. He will explain the technical aspect of the spread of the virus and what effects the choices made will have on it.
Update 06:14 –Longfonds wants platform to fight new lung disease CALD
The Long Fund wants to unite patients, doctors and researchers to jointly fight the new chronic lung disease that arises when it coronavirus has left the body.
Trouw reports this on Thursday.
The Longfonds warns that it is proliferating coronavirus in many cases leads to a new chronic lung disease. The scarring in the lungs causes a kind of pulmonary fibrosis, but with a completely different cause. The new disease that comes alongside asthma and COPD also has a name already: CALD, which stands for Covid Associated Lung Disorder.
To prevent patients after healing from corona For years, the Longfonds wants to register them at an early stage and link them to medical care and scientific research, with misunderstood complaints, as happened with the other jumped animal disease Q fever. As far as the Long Fund is concerned, patients with CALD must also be able to be monitored. That is why a special digital “Coronalongplein” has been developed that is accessible from Thursday. More than five hundred ex-coronapatients with CALD complaints have already reported, but it is expected that there will be many more.
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