hetismij2

After the Dutch government placed a ban on events with more than 100 visitors both museums, along with Nemo and Naturalis in Leiden are closed to all visitors until the end of the month.
I expect more museums will follow, and Keukenhof will have to delay opening as well.

annhig

Thanks, Hets. How was your weekend trip back to the UK?

hetismij2

My weekend in the UK is at the end of April, and hanging by a thread right now.
Last weekend was in a hotbed of the virus in the Netherlands.
Just heard my older grandson's school is ignoring government advice and is closing until after Easter, except for the exam classes. The rest will get digital lessons. Not sure how the family will deal with him being home all that time. I'd offer to help but they don't have a spare room.

Keukenhof is still planning to open on March 21st. It may be a good year for us to go .

annhig

sorry I got the date of your trip wrong, Hets. Purely co-incidentally the only person I actually know IRL who has got it so far is a dutch lady who spends ½ a month in Cornwall, and the other half in Holland where she was just diagnosed with a mild case. She is believed to have contracted it either whilst travelling to Holland or whilst she was there as it came to light more than 14 days after she left Cornwall.

What to do with all these children who are not at school is a big problem especially for parents who are health professionals who heaven only knows are needed more than ever. How old is your GS?

hetismij2

GS is 13 so he can look after himself to some extent. The school building remains open and children of healthcare or other emergency services can still go to the school building, but like those at home will receive digital lessons.
I can see their point - there are over 1400 kids at the school and a huge staff, all moving around every lesson change. The government says no more than 100 people together but doesn't count schools. Many schools already struggling with a teacher shortage, are struggling even more with teachers and staff following guidelines and staying home if they feel ill.

Just had a couple of emails from the ferry companies assuring me they have stepped up cleaning and hygiene on board and will be checking people before boarding, and saying I can cancel or ask for a credit at any time before sailing. Not going to worry too much just yet. We will lose our B&B booking money, but they have to live too, so I don't begrudge them that.

Meanwhile here trains are empty, you have to board buses by the back doors and stay away from the driver, people are working from home as much as possible and hospitals are cancelling non essential operations and preparing for the worst. My eldest son can't visit his GF - she is a nurse at the Groningen University hospital and all staff are allowed to be at work or at home and are only allowed their house mates at home, no visitors. They have many of the most seriously ill people in the north of the Netherlands so extreme as it sounds I get it.

hetismij2

Keukenhof won't open on March 21st. No opening date given, but if they don't open and lose a season it could be a financial disaster for them.

annhig

<<GS is 13 so he can look after himself to some extent. The school building remains open and children of healthcare or other emergency services can still go to the school building, but like those at home will receive digital lessons.>>

That seems reasonable in the circumstances, Hets, ditto the restrictions on medical staff seeing non-house mates.

Such a shame about Keukenhof which is more vulnerable than other places because of its limited season. I loved it both times we went.

menachem

It is far from reasonable. Our graphs are moving upwards like Italy's. In Rotterdam where I live confirmed cases double every two days.

Of course we don't do large scale testing, so we're flying blind. Next week will be our moment of truth, but it doesn't look good.

NL seems to follow GB in aiming for "herd immunity" and accepting that 60% of the population will get infected. Momentarily we have 6.4 IC beds per 1000 inhabitants. The last decade saw medical services hit by cuts and an overhaul of our health insurance system.

hetismij2

True enough menachem. I don't understand why they are no longer testing people unless they are at deaths door.
Everything here is closed or cancelled it seems. The shops are open still but that is about it.
Not looking great for the Bruine Vloot this year. I'm not sure how many more dire years they can survive. Just getting over the last crisis and now this.
I have been told that further tests and an operation I need will not happen for the foreseeable future, unless my problem becomes acute and life threatening, which, thankfully, is unlikely.
Life on hold, and Rutte is no help at all.

menachem

My brother in Zeeland reported "coronatourism" as cafes and bars are closed in Belgium but in NL, just across the border from Antwerp, they're open. People coming from Belgium in droves. Maastricht same.

Then again, I see people in Rotterdam going shopping, being in restaurants, bars, coffee places. It's crazy.
Also mob scenes at supermarkets.

Tulips

Many people are being very irresponsible. Here in Belgium cafes and restaurants were closed from yesterday, Saturday. Young people were mobilising to have a 'lock down party' on the Friday. Adults going to bars before they close.

Schools are all closed here now. If you don't close the schools, the children will continue to spread the virus. They may not get sick, but they still carry it. Very often the grandparents take care of children after school when parents work. For those who do not have childcare and cannot work from home, schools will remain open, but there will be far less children there.

menachem

Netherlands isn't closing schools for now, and seems to have adopted the UK's "herd immunity" strategy, because, "we're a nature of traders", so business must go on. Sigh. Bars in Amsterdam were packed, yesterday night.

Tulips

Last figures i saw from March 14 show 945 cases in the Netherlands and 684 in Belgium.
With Belgium closing all schools, restaurants, bars and the Netherlands keeping everything open so far, I wonder how this is going to affect the numbers in the next two weeks.

update from just now; 886 cases in Belgium today.

hetismij2

Schools and pubs and restaurants closing in the Netherlands too. There will be places for kids of essential workers.

There were plenty of Belgians visitng the pubs in Zeeland and, rather more stupidly, in Noord Brabant after the Belgian close down.

Tulips

I just heard it on the news.

These Belgians going to restaurants in Breda; how stupid can you be. It's the town with the most cases in the Netherlands.

bdokeefe

We were supposed to be boarding a Tulip river cruise on 28 March, with us spending a week in Ireland before boarding. So that is of course now canceled.

What's mocking me is the 2020 calendar I made, the March picture is from my Keukenhof visit last April. My wife wasn't able to go on that trip, and I really wanted her to see it. Now I have a bunch of beautiful tulips and daffodils showing me what might have been....

Stay safe, I hope to be able to reschedule in the next few years...and that my September Poland trip isn't impacted.

hetismij2

Ah sorry bdokeefe! I hope you make it back one day.
All restaurants cafes etc had to close at 18.00 this evening. All that food going to waste!
I wonder how many will be able to reopen whenever...

menachem

April 6 at the earliest, and then we'll see. Not very encouraging that our government is prepared to immediately bail out Schiphol and KLM but has for years cut the salaries of those people who are most vital now.

hetismij2

My eldest son's job is certainly on the line, but I guess if it helps it will be worth it.

bdokeefe

On my end, I work for the US government, our branch has stated no leave, no flights for training, no change of station moves until 15 May. Public grade schools in our area are closed until 17 April. It took awhile for there to be any restrictions, and then they shut everything very quickly.