According to the experts of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), it is especially important to better follow the measures in force in force. “Improved compliance with existing procedures” does better at reducing the number of contacts – and thus infection – than the new measures. The experts write this in their latest advice to the Cabinet.

“Following the ground rules is the way to prevent stricter measures above those in place, even a possible shutdown, which will be necessary in the coming winter period,” OMT wrote. In the current state of circulation of the virus, this applies to both unvaccinated and vaccinated people.

In the somewhat longer term (the coming weeks and months), “significantly accelerated booster vaccinations for those over 60” can provide particular solace. The government should also keep trying to get more people for injections. “In the long term, only high immunity in the population provides protection against new waves of infection,” OMT wrote.

Experts also considered a plan by the hospitality sector to keep bars and restaurants open after 8pm, but not allow new visitors in after that time. “Because the risk of contamination also depends on the duration of contact between visitors and the intensity of contact, the number of infections will increase as a result of the proposal.”

Cabinet wants to make it possible to introduce 2G policy to the food, events, culture and non-essential services industry, such as theme parks and zoos. Visitors who have been vaccinated or cured of corona can then be accepted. Then, a negative test is no longer sufficient to enter. This came in a draft law sent by the outgoing government to the House of Representatives.

If the bill is approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives, this does not immediately mean that 2G will actually take effect in these sectors. The law only gives the Cabinet the opportunity to take action, and it will only do so if it is necessary to protect public health. The government also wrote in the proposal that it will switch to 2G only if 3G does not work. In the latter case, unvaccinated people also gain access if they have a negative test result. Moreover, the procedure does not have to be widely disseminated to an entire sector, but can also be applied in a more targeted manner. This mainly pertains to “high risk environments”, where people do not have a fixed seat and where it is difficult to maintain a distance.

In sectors where, according to the government, there is no high-risk issue, 2G “will not be a problem soon, or not at all”. The Cabinet thinks in this regard, for example, in the practice of art and culture, but also in communication professions such as a hairdresser. The government doesn’t think 2G will be needed anytime soon in restaurants or at shows.

A solution is being worked on for people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. This concerns a limited group of people who are still able to get in with the current 3G policy after testing. The Council of Ministers and the Chamber of Deputies also consider it undesirable to exclude such persons from certain activities.

GGD GHOR Nederland notes that the need for corona tests is “still massive” and therefore remains “extremely busy” in the national call center and online reservation system. Therefore, it may take some effort to book the test, especially for people who do not want or cannot travel far for it. “People can help by making an appointment later in the day,” a health service spokeswoman said. It is quieter online in the evening and early morning. In principle, she adds, there is room for everyone.

GGDs already announced last week that they are within their testing capacity. They’re expanding it to 120,000 per day. “For example, regional GGDs are extending operating hours, additional test lines are being opened at existing locations and new locations are being opened when the opportunity arises.” A spokeswoman said about 95,000 appointments had already been scheduled around 2 p.m. on Monday.

To make reservations more flexible, some modifications have been made to the online system. According to GGD GHOR, more time slots will be available and temporarily booked places will be released soon. If you want to book a test online, there are many options. All the time periods shown will be unavailable for a while to someone else. Of course we hope for a quick stabilization of the infection. The most effective measure to put testing capacity in order is to reduce the number of infections,” concludes the national organization of GGDs.

Once again, the number of new infections is very high: more than 23,000 people have been tested positive for coronavirus by GGD in the past day. The second highest daily number ever recorded by RIVM:

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) has made an urgent appeal to everyone to better adhere to basic measures against the coronavirus. Otherwise, the Cabinet may not be able to wait with additional measures until December 3, the day when the next “weighing moment” and the press conference are planned at the moment. The prime minister said this during a press moment introduced on Monday. Otherwise, further lockdown measures threaten.

According to Root, the outbreak management team (OMT) warned in its latest advice that many people are abandoning ground rules, for example by not staying home and testing complaints, not keeping distance and inadequate ventilation. The Prime Minister stressed that compliance with this “determines the number of injuries.” According to him, “It is very important to see a transformation in the coming days, also according to the ground rules.”

According to outgoing Corona Minister Hugo de Jonge (CDA), we are still “very far” from the “black code” in hospitals. At the same press moment, de Jong said he mainly sees the hospitals’ statements as “an expression of concern.” The Professional Association of Nurses and Caregivers of the Netherlands (V&VN) warned of the black code on Monday. In this scenario, there are no hospital beds and a “non-medical selection” must be made to see who is still admitted.

The number of coronavirus infections has increased for weeks, as has the number of hospital admissions. De Jong noted that the intensive care units are currently occupied with between 450 and 460 beds. He said that the number of available beds is now being increased to 1,150 and could reach 1,350 at a later stage. In order to achieve more IC beds, other care must be curtailed. “These are very painful procedures, by the way, because that means people have to postpone operations that they’ve been waiting for so long,” de Jong said.

With 110 days left until the CPC episode on March 13, 2022, it is once again possible to register for the running event in The Hague from today. Contestants who registered for the planned edition last September will retain a valid starting ticket. Next year’s CPC loop consists of 1, 5, 10 and 21 kilometres.

About 75 percent of the population of The Hague has been vaccinated against corona. Despite calls, leaflet boxes, and jab campaigns in mosques, some neighborhoods in The Hague are still lagging behind. To reduce this backlog, GGD and doctors from LUMC went to the Haagse Markt to inform visitors about their vaccinations.

“People basically had questions,” says Aurelie Girbes, one of the physicians involved in West Becomes Wakker. “We weren’t there to impress people,” Gerbis says. On Saturday, she and her colleagues went to the market in The Hague to answer questions about the jab. As an independent physician, you can provide the information. Groups of people have heard voices from their environment and can use very little information.

The presence of doctors has made some difference, Gilberts says. There were only four of us, and yet we have a feeling a number of people have the switch. On Saturday evening, we also heard from GGD that more people went to the nearby injection site to get their first injection than usual.

To be able to reach more people, GGD will continue beta from last Saturday. Gilbers will go again this Saturday and will do everything she can to get doctors from The Hague with them.

Healthcare is heading towards the black icon. If this measure were to be applied, hospital health care would be under such pressure that not all emergency care could be provided. Patients who have little chance of survival cannot be treated in the intensive care unit.

It has yet to come, but the National Patient Distribution Coordination Center is preparing for a worst-case scenario. According to Martin Schaleg of Regional Consulting for Western Acute Care Chains (ROAZ), hospitals in the South North Holland region are “too full”. “The black icon means there’s no bed on the integrated circuits anymore. That’s not the case now. But if it keeps going up like this, at some point things aren’t going well,” says Schalleg.

Where they were occupied in the intensive care unit in previous waves of Corona, the beds are now filled mainly in nursing wards. This is primarily where the problem lies, says Shaleg. “The nursing staff have their hands full of people with corona.” There are still beds left in the intensive care units and hospitals are trying to keep them that way. “There’s a lot of other care going on now that the integrated circuits are also filled with people who have just had surgery.” These operations are now being scaled back, says Shalig, to “liberate staff and space.”

According to Shaleg, the coming weeks will be “decisive.” “The number of cases is increasing very quickly. If this continues for another two weeks, then things will not go well. At the end of the week, according to Shaleg, the number of Corona patients must be reduced if the black symbol is to remain out of sight.

For the fifth consecutive day, more than 20,000 positive coronavirus tests have been reported to RIVM. This makes the entire Netherlands red on the European corona map. Do you want to know how many infections there are in your municipality? Check it out here: