The Netherlands seems to be following an example set by the UK
Professor Jochen Mierau, health economist and professor at the University of Groningen says that the Netherlands relaxed its Coronavirus regulations too quickly, adding that “you have now created the perfect storm,” reports the GIC.
According to Mierau, the spiking Coronavirus figures across parts of the Netherlands are due overconfidence: “there was sight of the harbor,” he says, but “the cabinet is now threatening to sink the ship.”
The Dutch government, led by Mark Rutte, decided to release a large number of measures on 25 June, and Mireau predicts that “within two weeks, the number of infections will rise and as a result we will soon see the number of hospital admissions increase.”
Young people proportionally get infected far more often, and according to Mierau, some of them will eventually end up in hospital. In addition, there is a chance that they will infect others. “Not everyone has been fully vaccinated yet,” says Mierau.
Mierau added that the process of coming out of restrictive measures is going much smoother in neighbouring countries.
It is now clear that the system of ‘Testen voor Toegang‘ still contains teething problems, such as easily-swappable QR codes, and requiring venues to police entry themselves. Those teething problems in combination with full nightlubs have created “a perfect storm”.
Jochen Mierau argues for the reversal of a number of relaxations, such as the maximum group sizes. He also wants a ban on events in areas without proper ventilation. Working from home should also become the norm again.
Separately many people have found it quite shocking that the Netherlands went from over 90% face-mask wearing to nearly no-one wearing one overnight.
On Thursday, 374 new positive cases were added in one day in Groningen. For all the latest Coronavirus figures, check the Dutch government’s Coronavirus Dashboard.