[ad_1]
So far, many Dutch have not taken the Corona crisis seriously, there have been hardly any government regulations. Now, the second wave hits the country with full force, and the health system is failing.
The corona virus hits the Netherlands hard in the second wave, but the citizens are celebrating. As MPs in The Hague debated the sad reality on Wednesday night, hundreds of people shouted, drank and danced in the tents in the square in front of the parliament building. Similar scenes have also been reported from other cities. Probably one last dance before the bars, cafes and restaurants had to close for at least four weeks.
The behavior suits the Dutch, who like to measure the value of life by how “gezellig” it is. Even in the summer months, tourists were surprised at how easily the Dutch took it with the crown crisis. As soon as the first “smart lock” ended on June 1, normal life resumed. No masks, no controls, but a dense crowd in shops and bars. Super cellular.
Emergency rooms must temporarily close
Meanwhile, the coronavirus spread in a short time. Nearly 8,000 new infections were reported in the 24 hours of Friday, in a country of about 17 million people. The situation in hospitals and intensive care units is threatening. There are already so many Covid-19 patients that normal care for other patients is being dismantled. Emergency rooms in large cities must be temporarily closed. There are very few beds and very few staff, and ambulances with patients line up outside the doors.
All red flags are red. The situation is more threatening than in spring, said the Amsterdam virologist Hans Zaaijer of the newspaper “De Telegraaf”. “We are on the brink of disaster.” To avoid this, Prime Minister Mark Rutte imposed a “partial closure”: restaurants are closed and a mask requirement is introduced.
Restaurants closed in the center of Amsterdam. Dutch Prime Minister Rutte has announced a “partial blockade”. (Source: Robin Van Lonkhuijsen / dpa)
“I am not a dictator”
Face masks became a symbol of fickle politics. The right-wing liberal prime minister considers them foolish. “The masks do nothing.” But at the beginning of the week he suddenly appeared with a “maskertje”, a “girl”, as he said almost fondly. A signal to the citizens: now he’s getting serious.
Rutte would like to fight the virus with the simplest of commands: wash your hands, keep a distance of 1.5 meters, test for symptoms. The 53-year-old doesn’t think much about orders either. “I am not a dictator,” he says. “We are all adults.”
“People should finally obey the rules”
This is very convenient for the Dutch, who just don’t like being dictated to. Many citizens, so criticized by the “NRC Handelsblad”, interpret the few rules of the crown in the way that suits them best. Do you receive only three guests? Then we invite three per hour. 1.5 meters away? Oh, I can’t get the virus. Did it test positive? 20 percent go shopping quickly.
Andreas Voss, a professor of infection prevention in Nijmegen and one of the government’s advisers, also complains about a lack of discipline. “People should finally obey the rules.” The microbiologist sees an essential difference with his German compatriots. “There is less discussion about the measures and it is better to follow the guidelines.”
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands: “I am not a dictator.” (Source: Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa)
Talking really works like clockwork in the Netherlands. Since March, influencers, self-proclaimed experts and bloggers have been discussing the meaning and nonsense of the crown measures at the tables of the three biggest TV talk shows.
“Not all of us did well,” admits the prime minister. But now his government is also responsible for things getting out of hand. The left opposition accuses the cabinet of systematic errors and weak leadership.
The Netherlands is ill-prepared for a pandemic
Even the tests don’t work, despite all the promises. Health authorities have very few employees and laboratories very little capacity. He’s also desperately overwhelmed with tracking down contact persons and thus finding the source of an infection. Everyone should do it themselves. The Corona app, which was announced with much fanfare in March, was introduced just seven months later, last week.
Hospital capacity is also insufficient at the rear and front. At the start of the corona pandemic, there were about 1,150 beds in intensive care units. In comparison: in North Rhine-Westphalia alone, which has a similar population, there are more than 6,000, five times as many. German clinics have already offered to welcome 19 Covid patients back from the neighboring country, as they did in the spring. At NRW, the first patients must be admitted on the weekend. According to its own information, Lower Saxony was also already in contact with the neighboring country to take in patients.
The country now wants to prevent the worst by making a final effort. Social life is largely quiet for at least four weeks. The dance with the virus is over, for the moment.
