The Netherlands aims to keep its schools open, even as cases soar among young people - by Claire Moses-

The coronavirus’s rapid spread through schools in the Netherlands has prompted some experts to call for extending this winter’s Christmas break. In an article on Thursday, one immunologist, Ger Rijkers, told the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, “Children are little virus factories and infect each other as well as adults.”

Read more at: The Netherlands aims to keep its schools open, even as cases soar among young people. - The New York Times

The Netherlands: Dutch cabinet is working to evacuate up to 2,000 more Afghans to the Netherlands

Finally! Some good news for us this Friday morning — the Dutch cabinet is working on plans to evacuate more Afghans to the Netherlands than they had previously calculated.

Initially, the outgoing parliament estimated that in addition to the interpreters, only about 70 Afghans would be eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. According to various sources from The Hague, this number is now seen to be between 1,000 and 2,000 people,

At this point, the plan is to bring anyone who has worked in visible public positions for Dutch organisations after January 1, 2019, to the Netherlands. This is around 900 people, including their immediate family members.

In addition, any Afghans who have worked for at least one year for the Ministry of Defense or Europol over the past 20 years are also entitled to come to the Netherlands. Several hundred people are included in this category.

Read more at: Dutch cabinet is working to evacuate up to 2,000 more Afghans to the Netherlands – DutchReview

The Netherlands: Dutch Covid hospital total up 6% in a day; New patients near 4-week high

Hospitals in the Netherlands were treating 483 people with Covid-19 on Tuesday. The figure rose 6 percent since Monday afternoon, the third straight daily increase. It was caused in part by 82 patient admissions during the preceding 24 hours, the most in a day since September 9.

Seventeen of the new patients were sent directly to intensive care, a two-week high. Hospitals took on an average of 47 new Covid-19 patients each of the past seven days, including nine sent to an ICU.

Read more at: Dutch Covid hospital total up 6% in a day; New patients near 4-week high | NL Times

EU webshop sales over 63 percent up in the Netherlands

n Q1 2021, Dutch consumers spent 63 percent more in foreign EU webshops compared to the same quarter last year. Spending stood at nearly 800 million euros, versus around half a billion euros one year previously. Never before has quarterly spending increased so much year-on-year since the implementation of the present measuring method in 2014. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of an ongoing survey.

Since 2014, spending by Dutch consumers in foreign EU webshops has been higher in each quarter compared to the same period one year previously. In Q1 2014, Dutch consumers still spent around 150 million euros. This increased fivefold to 778 million euros in Q1 2021, slightly higher than the amount spent in the final quarter of 2020. In recent years prior to this, spending in the first quarter was always lower than in the previous quarter. Especially since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis in March 2020, spending in EU webshops has risen sharply, probably as a result of the COVID-19 measures. For example, as of 15 December many non-food shops closed their doors and shops were only allowed to have orders collected.

Read more at: EU webshop sales over 63 percent up in the Netherlands

USA: Gun Sales Reach 19 Million: Here’s Every State Ranked

Gun Sales Reach 19 Million: Here’s Every State Ranked – 24/7 Wall St.

Netherlands reports sharp 36% jump in coronavirus infections

Another 9,737 people in the Netherlands tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, data from Dutch public health agency RIVM showed. That figure was 36 percent higher than on Wednesday, and less than one percent more than New Year's Eve exactly one week ago.

The total released on Thursday was the highest since Boxing Day, and snapped a 15-day streak where the moving daily average number of infections fell. It was also the first time in six days that the number of new infections was higher than the rolling average, which stood at 7,749.

That average was still higher than it was on December 12, when Cabinet members crafted a plan to put the Netherlands into the ongoing full lockdown. The lockdown restrictions were initially expected to last until January 19, but with many advising the government to keep the measures in place, the Cabinet was reportedly considering a two-week extension.

Read more at: Netherlands reports sharp 36% jump in coronavirus infections | NL Times

The Global Pandemic: COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 12 October 2020

Since 31 December 2019 and as of 12 October 2020, 37 568 843 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 1 077 508 deaths.

Read more at: 
COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 12 October 2020

The Netherlands: Dutch coronavirus figures are 'very bad', Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial

New coronavirus measures cannot be avoided in the Netherlands if there is no improvement in the number of new infections in the coming 24 to 72 hours, prime minister Mark Rutte told reporters after the weekly cabinet
conference on Friday.

The number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands continues to rise, with a further 5,983 cases registered with public health institute RIVM in the 24 hours to Friday morning.

Although the increase on Thursday’s total is 154, well down on the shock 800 increase between Wednesday and Thursday, Rutte said that officials need to see something ‘positive’ in the coming period. ‘I will want to know from experts what the weekend figures say.

The Netherlands now has one of the worst infection rates in Europe, and this has received widespread coverage in the foreign press.

The figures, Rutte said, are ‘very bad.’ ‘People are faced with not having the operation they expected, more people will die, are worried about jobs and loneliness… and that is because we are not taking the basic rules seriously,’ he said.

By Friday a further 69 people had been admitted to hospital, taking the total to 1,139, of whom 239 are in intensive care.

Read more at:
Dutch coronavirus figures are 'very bad', Rutte says. Weekend will be crucial - DutchNews.nl

The Netherlands: National measures needed to get coronavirus under control in the Netherlands - by Victoria Séveno

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, September 18, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge announced that six of the 25 security regions in the Netherlands had entered the “worrying” alert phase (code orange). At Wednesday’s parliamentary debate, Rutte announced that a further eight regions would join them< Read more at: 

National measures needed to get coronavirus under control in the Netherlands

The Netherlands: Rutte: "The coronavirus is making a comeback"; New rules for hospitality, groups: by Zack Newmark

surge in new infections of the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus will  ranslate to new restrictions in at least six regions of the Netherlandsbeginning on Monday. "The coronavirus is making a comeback," 

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a press conference Friday night. At the event, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge introduced a three-stage warning  system for the 25 security regions of the Netherlands, where 19 regions are at Level 1, or "vigilance", meaning people still need to pay  attention to social distancing rules, and six regions including the four, largest cities were placed at the "Worrysome" Level 2.

Read more at: Rutte: "The coronavirus is making a comeback"; New rules for hospitality, groups | NL Times

The Netherlands: Sudden rise in Dutch coronavirus infections continues

Public health agency RIVM announced on Saturday that 654 more people were diagnosed with a SARS  week's total of new infections up to 3,732, up 21 percent compared to the same point last week. The Netherlands will conclude the week with more new infections from Monday through Sunday for the first time in three weeks.

It was not immediately clear if the increase in infections was linked to an increase in testing, or an increase in the percentage of people producing a positive test result.

That information was expected to be released in a weekly report from the RIVM on Tuesday. To date, about 74,500 people in the Netherlands have tested positive for the virus.

The RIVM also said that between Wednesday and Friday, 17 more people have been admitted to a Dutch hospital with Covid-19, the illness caused by the infection. Six people were also moved into intensive care during that time.

Read more at: 
Sudden rise in Dutch coronavirus infections continues | NL Times

The Netherlands:A rise in Covid-19 infections triggers stricter rules in the Netherlands

The number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands remainshigh, despite the measures being tightened up earlier this month. Forthis reason, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Hugo de Jonge announced new restrictions at a press conference held on 18 August 2020.

Read more at: 
A rise in Covid-19 infections triggers stricter rules in the Netherlands | TheMayor.EU

The Netherlands tightens coronavirus measures as Dutch fail to observe social distancing

The Netherlands has observed recent outbreaks in the number of new coronavirus cases, as many people do not respect social distancing and barrier measures, Prime Minister Mark Rutte explained at a press conference yesterday evening. Here is why he and Health minister Hugo de Jonge announced additional rules, effective immediately, aiming to keep the virus under control.

 Read more at:
The Netherlands tightens coronavirus measures as Dutch fail to observe social distancing | TheMayor EU

The Netherlands: Press conference PM Mark Rutte on measures related to the increased numbers of Coronavirus cases in the Netherlands

In this official Netherlands government website are included all the Press conferences by Dutch government officials, including the latest by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, in relation to measures that will be taken by the government as a result of the recent alarming increasing numbers of new Coronavirus cases in th

Read more at: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-beeld-en-video/videospersconferenties?fbclid=IwAR2XUsF8rznA25ZI0bgnrLKqoOwF9pioqPWGM_gEBqYG0lntRJVw6TBrspw

The Netherlands: Alarm in Netherlands as Covid-19 cases and reproduction rate climb

European neighbours, the Netherlandscould now be facing a crisis – with the level of infection almost doubling in one week, combined with a worrying increase in the
reproduction rate of the virus.

Latest figures from the public health institute – now issued weekly rather than daily – show
that 987 new cases were recorded during the week July 15th-21st, compared with 534 the previous week, a rise than cannot be accounted for statistically by increased mass testing.

At the same time, the healthinstitute says the reproduction rate rose during that week to 1.29, thefirst time since March that it’s been higher than 1. A reproduction rateof more than one means that, on average, every patient is infectingmore than one other person – and so the number of cases is rising.

Worrying too – as hugenumbers leave this weekend for stay-at-home holidays in rural parts of the country – is that young adults in their 20s are now almost as likely to be infected as those over 50, an extraordinary turn around in the behaviour of the disease.

Read more at:
Alarm in Netherlands as Covid-19 cases and reproduction rate climb

The Netherlands: Two more die of coronavirus in Netherlands, total stands at 265

Two more patients in the Netherlands have died as a result of contracting coronavirus, according to latest figures from the public health institute RIVM. In its latest update on Sunday the RIVM said the number of confirmed infections stands at 265, a rise of 77 since Saturday.

The figure is the biggest increase for a single day, although in percentage terms it is smaller than Saturday’s rise (41.0% compared to 46.9%).

The latest casualties are an 86-year-old man who was admitted to the Bernhoven Hospital in Uden, Noord-Brabant, and an 82-year-old man who was being treated in the Zuyderland Medical Centre in Sittard-Geleen, Limburg. The source of both infections is being investigated.

The RIVM said 144 of the 265 patients who had tested positive for coronavirus had travelled abroad, 131 of them to northern Italy. In 47 cases the source of the infection is not yet known.

 Read more at: Two more die of coronavirus in Netherlands, total stands at 265 - DutchNews.nl

Coronavirus latest: Germany′s COVID-19 cases almost double

The number of coronavirus cases in Germany has risen sharply; official data shows infections have reached 129, compared with 66 on Saturday. More than half are in North Rhine-Westphalia. Follow the latest from DW here.

Read more at:
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-latest-germanys-covid-19-cases-almost-double/a-52593500

The Netherlands: More Dutch seniors active on social media

Social media usage among the elderly in the Netherlands has soared in recent years. The group 65 to 74-year-olds in particular have become increasingly active users.

In 2019, 76 percent of the respondents in this age category said they had used social media, up from 40 percent five years previously.

An increase in social media use was also seen among people aged 75 and over. Exchanging text messages, via WhatsApp for example, is most popular among the elderly. This is according to recent figures taken from the survey on ICT usage by households and individuals in 2019, conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

In 2019, 87 percent of the Dutch population aged 12 years and over indicated they had used social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, discussion forums or weblogs in the previous three months. This was still 74 percent five years previously.

Virtually everyone in the age group 12 to 54 years use social media (95 percent or more). The shares were 89 percent among 55 to 64-year-olds and 76 percent among 65 to 74-year-olds last year. In 2014, these shares amounted to 64 and 40 percent respectively.

An increase in social media use is also seen among Dutch seniors over the age of 75: in 2014, 13 percent were active while five years this had risen to 40 percent.

Read more: More Dutch seniors active on social media

Tourism: Spain set for tourism record as U.S. visitors counter Brexit blues

Spain is on track for a record year of tourist arrivals, the seventh straight year of new highs, with U.S. and Asian visitors countering the disruption of Brexit and collapse of tour operator Thomas Cook, the industry minister said on Wednesday.

Read more at:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-economy-tourism/spain-set-for-tourism-record-as-u-s-visitors-counter-brexit-blues-idUKKBN1XU20E

Telescammers not only want your money. They're also after your phone number

 Most times, George Baiden avoids answering calls from numbers he doesn’t know. But when a Toronto area code appeared on his cell, he picked up thinking it was a friend. It turned out to be from an elaborate telephone scam whereby fraudsters steal phone numbers to make their calls.

Read more at:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/scam-cellphone-spoof-cra-1.5360162