Covid-19: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter

Last December and January, the United States and much of the world experienced the deadliest surges of the pandemic. At one point, more than 3,000 Americans were dying every day of Covid-19. Nearly 250,000 people died in the United States over December, January, and February.

But this winter may be different, at least in America. Last year, almost nobody was vaccinated against Covid-19. As of October 7, 56 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times’s tracker. That includes 84 percent of people over 65, who are generally the most vulnerable to dying from the virus. The Food and Drug Administration will soon consider whether to authorize a vaccine for children as young as 5, which would push vaccination rates higher.

Read more at: The best- and worst-case scenarios for Covid-19 this winter

The Netherlands: ‘The Forgotten Battle’: An Immersive New Dutch Movie On WWII On Netflix - by Sheena Scott

Second World War, three young lives, Netflix’s official synopsis tells us, find themselves inextricably connected.

The forgotten battle in question is the Battle of the Scheldt. Months after Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy (D-Day and the Battle of Normandy), the Allies are rapidly advancing west, defeating the Nazi troops. The Allies liberate the Belgian port of Antwerp—crucial in getting access to the North Sea and thus secure supply lines. In order to use the port though, the Allies needed to clear the region between Antwerp and the North Sea along the Scheldt River, which was occupied by Nazi troops. This task was given to the First Canadian Army, and is considered the largest operation in the Netherlands during the war.

Read more at: ‘The Forgotten Battle’: An Immersive New Dutch Movie On WWII On Netflix

The Netherlands" Geldmaat and the future of cash -"Geldmaat presently riddled with technical problems"

Geldmaat is a collaboration between ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank and by 2020 will take over all their cash machines. But with so much talk that fewer and fewer people use cash, why have a business like Geldmaat based on what looks like a disappearing market?

Then, the Dutch Bank (DNB) has done research to identify which population groups still pay with cash. Many people have the idea that it is highly-educated people and young people that like to pay electronically. But that is not the case. You see all walks of life have a preference to be able to pay with cash, whatever their background. And, if you look at budgeting, we see that at times when salaries are paid out, the peak times on our ATMs are the greatest.

The second aspect is that the Dutch Bank and the government emphasize that cash must remain available. That is one of our most important tasks: the availability of cash.

Note EU-Digest: presently Geldmaat in some areas of the Netherlands is riddled with technical problems.

Read more at: Geldmaat and the future of cash | Odgers Berndtson

The Netherlands - Coronavirus: Red-orange-red: the Netherlands’ warning level due to go up on the European coronavirus map

Throughout September, and pretty much for as long as we can remember actually, the whole of the Netherlands has been red. Last week, however, the Netherlands turned orange — we all love orange, don’t we? 🍊 It was even predicted that certain provinces could turn green — the lowest warning colour.

If that all felt a little too good to be true, that’s probably because it was. This week the RIVM’s official coronavirus figures showed a huge increase from last week, meaning that no provinces will be going green — wat jammer. In fact, if more than 4% of the tests taken this week are positive, the Netherlands will be going right back to red again, RTL Nieuws reports.

Read more at: https://dutchreview.com/news/red-orange-red-netherlands-warning-level-due-to-go-up-on-european-coronavirus-map/

The Netherlands: Love is love: Gay marriage possible for Dutch monarch

In the country that first legalised gay marriage, the Dutch crown princess has the right to marry a person of any gender without giving up her right to the throne, the prime minister said on Tuesday.

Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia, 17, has not made any comments on the matter, and little is known of her personal life. The question arose after recently published books argued that the country’s rules exclude the possibility of a same-sex royal couple.

Read more at: Love is love: Gay marriage possible for Dutch monarch - Metro US

The Netherlands: Thousands in the Netherlands living in poverty as a result of COVID-19

According to figures from the aid organisation Red Cross, thousands of people up and down the country are living below the poverty line, relying on food banks and support to get by.

Figures show that single mothers, self-employed people, and low-income families have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, with thousands of vulnerable people being forced into a situation where they have to choose between buying food, paying rent, or buying other vital hygiene products.

“Vulnerable people often have no money for essential care products, such as sanitary towels, incontinence products, diapers, toothpaste or detergents,” explains Red Cross chief Marieke van Schaik. “If people cannot take good care of themselves and their household, it often makes it more difficult for them to get out of their predicament.”

Read more at: Thousands in the Netherlands living in poverty as a result of COVID-19

The Netherlands: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations

A Dutch court on Wednesday dismissed a call to scrap the ‘corona pass’ required to enter

The court in The Hague said the government had the right to demand proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test to limit the spread of the coronavirus as most other social distancing measures were lifted last month.

Read more at: Coronavirus: Dutch court dismisses call to scrap 'corona pass' regulations | Cyprus Mail