Following a cabinet meeting in The Hague on Monday, ministers decided that no new coronavirus restrictions were necessary, but Prime Minister Mark Rutte has outlined some new advice that should help to further curb the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands.
Due to the rapid increase in coronavirus infections in the Netherlands over the past few weeks, cabinet ministers agreed to continue to meet twice a week throughout the summer recess in order to discuss the developing situation in the Netherlands, and whether new restrictions were necessary or existing restrictions could be lifted.
According to Rutte and Health Minister de Jonge, the number of cases in the Netherlands has stabilised over the past week, but that with an average of over 10.000 infections reported every day over the past seven days, the current rules and restrictions are necessary to further reduce the number of cases.
While no new restrictions have been announced, Rutte did follow through on the promise he made to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) last week, formally re-introducing the advice to work from home as much as possible, and placing new emphasis on the importance of proper ventilation at home, at work, in schools, and in public indoor spaces. "Make sure that fresh air flows through the house for at least fifteen minutes a day," the Prime Minister said.
While the number of new cases does appear to have stabilised, the Dutch government still feels the current infection rate is “serious and worrisome.” Indeed, some experts say the real infection rate is likely higher than that which is currently reported.
On Monday, the number of new cases reported on the coronadashboard fell to below 10.000 for the first time since July 13. Most new cases are among those aged 20 to 29. The number of coronavirus patients being treated in Dutch hospitals has also risen over the past week. 63 hospital admissions were reported on Monday, 19 more than on Sunday. There are currently 361 people being treated in hospital for COVID-19, 84 of which are in intensive care.
As was predicted last week when mayors from across the country met to discuss the enforcement of coronavirus restrictions, 11 of the 25 Security Regions in the Netherlands are now classified as “very serious” - the highest risk level - while another 13 are “serious.” 10 of these could see their risk level rise this week.