Almere-Digest

March 19, 2020

Netherlands: Closes Sex Shops, Cannabis Cafes Due To Coronavirus; Bike Shops Stay Open

In an effort to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus the Netherlands is joining other European countries by closing all schools and many cafes, announced Dutch health minister Bruno Bruins in a televised news conference on March 15.

Sex clubs, cannabis cafes, saunas, and some shops will be shuttered from 6pm on March 15, and Bruins said it is likely they will not be allowed to reopen until April 6 at the earliest. Bicycle shops—an essential service in the “bicycle kingdom”—are not part of the closure plans.

Meanwhile, leisure cycling is facing restrictions in Spain and Italy.

Read more: Netherlands Closes Sex Shops, Cannabis Cafes Due To Coronavirus; Bike Shops Stay Open

March 17, 2020

Fast Food and Corona Virus: McDonald's shifts to take-out only mode over coronavirus

McDonald's Corp. said late Monday it was turning its U.S. company-owned restaurants into take-out only in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus beginning...

Read more at:
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcdonalds-shifts-to-take-out-only-mode-over-coronavirus-2020-03-16

March 16, 2020

The Netherlands on lockdown: schools, cafes and sports clubs shut

All schools and daycare centres in the Netherlands are to be shut from Monday until at least April 6 in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, ministers decided on Sunday after a crisis meeting with health experts and education officials. In addition, cafes, restaurants, sex clubs, cannabis cafes, saunas and sports clubs will all close their doors at 6pm on Sunday for three weeks, health minister Bruno Bruins said in a televised news conference.

The move is a u-turn on Friday’s position, when the government said that schools and daycare centres should remain open so that essential workers can continue to do their jobs.

Read more at: The Netherlands on lockdown: schools, cafes and sports clubs shut - DutchNews.nl

March 14, 2020

Coronavirus: 'Viruses don't carry passports:' Why travel bans won't work to stop spread of COVID-19

U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to restrict travel from most European countries to try to contain what he called a "foreign virus" isn't grounded in science and breaks international law, experts say.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid19-travel-bans-1.5495919

March 13, 2020

The Netherlands: Foreign Minister Blok to review travel advice to US in wake of Trump's ban

The Dutch government is to review its travel advice to the US after president Donald Trump imposed a 30-day travel ban on all 26 countries in the Schengen zone, including the Netherlands.

The ban will take effect from 5am on Saturday and apply to all non-US citizens. Some tour operators, including TUI, cancelled trips immediately because of concerns that their customers would not be able to return home. Foreign affairs minister Stef Blok, who is in Indonesia with the king and queen on a state visit, said the ban on travel from Europe was ‘potentially very disruptive’.

‘We have a lot of traffic in terms of people and trade,’ he said. ‘We are now assessing whether we need to adjust our travel advice to the United States’.

Read more: Foreign Minister Blok to review travel advice to US in wake of Trump's ban - DutchNews.nl

March 12, 2020

EU-US Relations: U.S. to Ban Travel From EU for 30 Days with the exception of Britain due to coronavirus -

In a televised address 0n Wednesday 11th of March Trump said travel from 26 European countries would be suspended for the next 30 days.Britain would be excluded/

But he said the "strong but necessary" restrictions would not apply to the UK, where 460 cases of the virus have now been confirmed.

here are 1,135 confirmed cases of the virus across the US, with 38 deaths.

"To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe," Mr Trump said from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening.

"The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight," he added. The travel order does not apply to US citizens.

Note Almere - Digest : Unbelievable, what a confusing message. No details of the fundamentals in his speech. No empathy, no common sense advice, just blaming other countries, and band-aid solutions.It sounded more like a man who was unhappy that it was raining on his parade. What is next? Marshall law, so Trump can become the first official US dictator?

Almere-Digest