“They pulled as far as they could and did not introduce restrictions until the last”
The Dutch government has decided to return restrictive measures to combat coronavirus, the spread of which has accelerated markedly in recent weeks. From weekends, access to museums, gyms and even restaurant terraces is only possible upon presentation of a “green passport”. A Russian woman living there told us more about the situation with COVID-19 in the country.
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during a press conference a. Ó. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. – Unfortunately, we have to ask people to make further efforts, because the number of people infected and the number of hospitalizations is growing rapidly. There is no other way out. I think we screwed up by removing the security features too soon – and this is the result. “
The Dutch government's website says that camouflage in public places and the demand for social distance will be renewed from 6 November. The so-called “green cards” – COVID electronic certificates – are also being expanded. Now they are necessary not only for visiting cafes and restaurants, but also for their terraces, theaters, concert halls, cinemas, museums, zoos, sports and cultural events.
The government also plans to organize a revaccination process for people aged 80 and over. This population will be able to receive the third dose of the vaccine in December. From January, citizens aged 60 to 80 will be able to be vaccinated.
“In the Netherlands, compared to other European Union countries, they have a slight delay in responding to coronavirus,” says our compatriot Oksana Antsidei, who lives in the country. – They pulled as best they could and did not impose restrictions until the last one. This trend can be observed from the beginning of the pandemic. The locals are quite disciplined: if the government tells them to wear masks and keep their distance, they will do so without grumbling. But if the authorities do not insist on compliance and try to combat the deteriorating epidemiological situation, people will also ignore it.
The Dutch are very tactful. They will not offend anything publicly. Even at protest rallies, they express their dissatisfaction in a rather calm way. The Black Chronicle is told with a smile and a gentle voice.
We do not understand that a virus is raging in the country. If in Italy citizens were forced to stay at home for a long time, this was not the case in the Netherlands. Even when locked up, local epidemiologists supported outdoor walks. There are wide roads, so people keep their social distance.
In addition, the Dutch are very athletic. You just can't be forced to sit at home. People here are sure that the more they devote themselves to their own bodies, the less money they will spend on medical services. For them, sport is one of the measures to prevent high health costs.
All restaurants, bars and other public places are now applying for COVID certificates. For example, my daughter was at a disco recently. So they also asked to show the QR code, not once at the entrance, but several times.
But there is absolute chaos in schools. Children are not particularly required to wear veils, as was the case when the rules were stricter. The measure was advisory in the classroom and mandatory in the corridors.
In addition, the government calls on employers to send 50% of employees remotely. However, most of them already work from home. Employees most often come to the office two or three days a week, the rest of the time they work remotely.
The only thing I still do not understand is why all the measures do not come into force until 6 November. Either the authorities are waiting for the indicators to increase, or for people to be in tune and prepared.
Meanwhile, the vaccination situation in the country is amazing. In total, about 85% of the adult population in the country was vaccinated against COVID-19. The Dutch know how to organize any processes at the best level. Vaccination invitations come here by email. Residents can easily register either by phone or online. There are no queues in vaccination centers.
Authorities are agitating people to get vaccinated, but they are doing it in a rather mild way. In any case, those who do not want or cannot get vaccinated for health reasons are not excluded from society, as in many other states. A press conference was held just then, where members of the government confirmed it. ”
The number of people infected in the Netherlands has been growing for a month and reached its highest level last week. since July. The number of new infections on Tuesday 2 November was 45% higher than a week ago, namely 7727.