In Amsterdam and nationwide, the tails are tightened again. Photo:djedj on Pixabay (Public Domain)
New infections increase eightfold within a week. This is not yet evident in the country’s intensive care units. The government, however, has tightened the measures again
Only two weeks lasted the rough corona freeze in the Netherlands, now the government is massively tightening the levers again. The reason: The infection figures are rising massively less than three weeks after the widespread openings in June. On Sunday, the National Institute for Health and the Environment (RIVM) paid 9.398 new infections – eight times as many as a week earlier.
For comparison: In Germany, 324 new infections were registered recently – with four times as many inhabitants. Younger people up to 40 years of age are particularly affected in the Netherlands. The RIVM has the same function there as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Germany.
"The increase in infections is happening faster than we had estimated", declared Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a press conference on Friday. Rutte is currently only in office on a provisional basis due to ongoing coalition negotiations, and the formation of a government is dragging on. On 18. June he had announced extensive relaxations. "Everything pointed to a mild summer. We still hope for this, but a cloud has appeared in front of the sun. Because of the delta variant, the numbers increase very quickly."
So far, the explosion of infections has not yet reached intensive care units, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge admitted at the same press conference. At the moment, there are fewer patients there than at any time since September, but the government fears that this could change quickly despite the advanced vaccination campaign in the older age groups. In the first wave a year ago, intensive care patients had to be treated in Germany.
For 14 days, almost anything was possible
In any case, tightened rules have been in effect again since Saturday, after 14 days in which almost anything was possible. Probably the most drastic measure: discotheques and nightclubs must remain completely closed. Restaurants, pubs and cafes must ask customers to leave at midnight and are allowed to reopen at 6 a.m. Guests must have a seat and keep a distance of one and a half meters from each other. If these conditions are met, cultural events will remain allowed, according to the state website Rijksoverheid. The measures are valid for the time being until 13. August.
"This is almost a neck shot", Pieter de Kroon told the daily newspaper on Saturday Het Parool. De Kroon is the owner of the Chicago Social Club on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. "You have to get back to keeping the staff in line", he complains. After the long weeks when the pubs had to close in the spring, almost all nightclubs had problems finding enough employees, because many alumni had looked for other work in the meantime. The dance halls had done everything the politicians had asked them to do, De Kroon asserted. He had hoped for more trust and more staying power in politics.
"Working at the Horeca – a small celebration every day", the trade association Konigliche Horeca Nederland advertised for new employees when the guesthouses were allowed to reopen in June, but found no staff. In the Netherlands, the abbreviation Horeca stands for hotels, restaurants and cafes. Of the roughly 450.000 employees at the Horeca, nearly a quarter have looked for other jobs – many found them in care facilities.
Pulling the emergency brake now would be a mistake, says Rosanne Janmaat from the rough festival organizer ID TT from Amsterdam. The stricter regulations prohibit multi-day events and require that all visitors to single-day events have a seat. IDT wants to obtain an injunction against the Mabnahme, the application was already filed with the court on Friday, reported the daily AD on Saturday with reference to the Dutch news agency ANP.
According to a report of the Het Parool the company has taken part in a field trial over the past two weeks to find out how events can be run safely – including a marathon in Enschede, a soccer match of the Dutch national team in Amsterdam and a concert in The Hague. From a total of 129.000 participants who had been pre-tested for infection, 103 became infected with Covid-19. Janmaat therefore believes it is safer to attend an open-air concert than to sit indoors.
Some venues in Amsterdam, however, have to stay that way, regardless of the relaxation, noted Het Parool during a tour of Amsterdam. The companies cannot continue because some of the staff got infected and then all the contacts had to go to quarantine. The Horeca employs mainly young people – and, as in Germany, they are not yet fully vaccinated.
In Enschede at the German border, however, there is also understanding for the current measures of the government. The incidence rate there over the weekend was 205.7 – one of the highest in the country. Seven days earlier it had been at 47.7. "The government decided far too quickly a few weeks ago to reopen everything. From zero to one hundred all at once", said Bart and Tim to the local newspaper Tubantia on Saturday evening. "Now they have to see how they get the genie back in the bottle." When the guesthouses in the amusement district Oude Markt closed at midnight, Bart and Tim wanted to party a little more at home with some friends, they revealed to Tubantia.
"When you tighten the leash, you have to do it immediately"
Innkeeper Sanne Lammers had already tightened the restrictions on her own initiative a few days before the government’s decision, allowing only four people per table. "We saw that it was going to go wrong with the nationwide numbers. You don’t want to be associated as a company with a source of fire. We are satisfied with the rules that apply now. No one wants a third shift", Lammers hopes to avoid a new lockdown. She does not understand, however, why the government in The Hague announced the tightened Corona rules as early as Friday, but did not put them into effect until Saturday evening. "When you put on the tails, you have to do it right away. This prevents a lot of unnecessary contagions", criticizes Lammers.
On Friday evening was apparently in the pubs in Enschede once again until deep into the night the Holle loose. One last time party until the morning hours. Who seriously wants to blame them? For months, the dance halls were closed, the young people were practically on their parents’ shoulders. On the other hand, no one should be surprised that the number of infections is increasing.
Many have feasted on the offnung of June, abandoning all caution. In front of the entrances of the nightclubs and discotheques, the feestbeestjes (festive animals) were already crowded together in queues without mouth guards. The terraces of the pubs were full to bursting. Many hosts showed the games of the European Football Championship on screens in order to attract more customers. The government had lulled the whole country into a false sense of security with its rapid opening strategy. Now the cat’s meow.