The pandemic does not come as a gift. The number of cases of infection is climbing dangerously in the Netherlands, hospitals are overflowing again and healthcare workers can no longer take it. The fifth pandemic wave is indeed wreaking havoc here, as in several European countries.
Yet, late Saturday afternoon, minutes before stricter sanitary measures took effect, Sinterklaas, a kind of national Santa Claus, marched through the streets of The Hague and in several other major cities of the country to launch the end-of-year festivities. As if nothing had happened. Besides, the bearded man in red wore no mask, and neither did his mischievous (and insufferable) Zwarte Piet. These “servants” now smear their faces with a few traces of soot instead of wearing the much-hated traditional black make-up, some of them evoking the blackfaces…
Normally, the guy in the costume of a bishop arrives by boat in a port, and his parades attract crowds. Not this year. In the scattered crowd, very few covered their faces. The Zwarte Piet distributed unwrapped cookies to the children with their bare hands.
This unprotected party focused the nonchalant attitude of the Dutch provinces in the face of the pandemic, as worrying signs of a strong Covidian surge abound for weeks here more than everywhere in Europe. The Netherlands spent the fall pretending the health crisis was if not over, at least on the way out.
Until recently, frequentation of bars, restaurants, cinemas and sports halls was done with a lazy surveillance of health passports. The Dutch had dropped masks everywhere, and social distancing (set here at 1.5m) no longer existed.
Darwinian logic
Claudia wore a mask on Saturday. She was on her bike (obviously) to run errands (not gifts) and she stopped to watch the parade on Prinsengracht Street. A native of Spain, she has lived and worked in the Netherlands for four years and had a lot to say against her new fellow citizens.
“I am very critical of what is going on here,” said the young woman. The Dutch are very individualistic. They only think of themselves. The situation is much better in Spain, where people respect the instructions. “
Her partner, Alexander, added more after putting on his mask to continue the conversation. He himself did a doctorate and worked in the oncology department of a hospital in the capital. Of the catastrophic consequences of the virus, including the perverse effects of breaks in the usual chain of hospital care, he has seen many.
“I hang out with weak and sick people. I know patients who no longer go out because of the fear of others. I believe that too many people feel nothing in the face of this suffering. For them, it is a Darwinian question of survival of the fittest. They tell themselves that if you get sick, that’s your problem and that they don’t have to respect health instructions that supposedly restrict their freedom. “
We are closing !
The Dutch government announced the new restrictions on Friday evening, with seven in ten citizens calling for them, according to a poll earlier this month. The day before, the number of infections reported in 24 hours had just passed the 16,000 case mark, a new record compared to some 13,000 recorded in December 2020.
The health care system is once again squeezed. Surgeries are postponed and 4 in 10 nurses in intensive care units now suffer from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic symptoms according to a study from the universities of Nijmegen and Rotterdam.
The measures unveiled include closing non-essential stores at 6 p.m. Sports matches will be played behind closed doors. On the other hand, schools remain open, as do sports halls and brothels across the country.
The instructions already seem a little more respected. Sunday, a demonstration to denounce the housing crisis brought together a few thousand people, almost all masked. Young people were distributing face coverings for free, never before seen.
The health passport becomes a real obligation. By the way, Quebec and Canadian QR codes do not work here, but all the restaurants have still opened the way to journalists from the To have to in service for a week. On Sunday, for the first time, a restaurant asked us for additional proof of identity.
“The virus is everywhere, throughout the country, in all sectors”, summarized the Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, in his speech to unveil his plan of fight presented as a “rapid shock treatment”. Strong protests immediately followed. The riot service intervened. Ten days ago, 20,000 protesters gathered in The Hague against health measures.
The media are reporting that as entertainment venues close early, house parties are resuming. Karen-Maria, she hasn’t frequented restaurants or bars for months. She showed up at the Prime Minister’s office on Friday to, once again, cry out her outrage. She especially shouted when she saw Hugo de Jonge, the Minister of Health, recognizable by his colorful and flowery shoes.
“I ironically asked him if he was proud of himself,” then explained the lady, who had waited a good hour in the damp cold with a few dozen other citizens to be able to empty her heart. She is not vaccinated. She does not get tested (“Why? For nothing!”), And ten minutes of discussions were enough to make her unpack a bag full of conspiracy theories.
Worries
The country of 17 million people has recorded more than two million cases and more than 18,500 deaths since March 2020. About 82% of Dutch people over the age of 12 have received two doses of the anticovid vaccine. Unvaccinated people make up the bulk of the ICU admissions contingent (69%). The recall campaign will begin in December.
Contamination outbreaks are displayed everywhere in Europe with a dozen countries in a situation deemed “very worrying” according to the central disease surveillance agency. Spain is actually doing better.
Austria (12,000 cases per day) prohibits access to entertainment rooms to the unvaccinated. Vienna is considering imposing full containment on them if hospitals fill up to 30% with COVID-19 patients. The 20% threshold has now been crossed.
In three weeks, The Hague will perhaps give festivals or restaurants the right to reserve access to their services to doubly vaccinated, the 2Gs we say here, according to a German designation of origin (geimpft means vaccinated). The 3G system currently in force also admits tested persons (getestet). However, the 2G restriction would not be mandatory. Procrastination, once again …
This additional foreclosure obviously worries the service sector. Restaurant owners have had it hard, very hard for twenty months. Bars and restaurants now close at 8 p.m., except for home delivery.
“It’s very, very worrying,” says Natalia, barmaid at Deluca, an establishment located in a closed gallery (a ‘passage’) in the historic center. I will still lose income, as during previous closings. Older employees in other sectors have fixed incomes, can work from home. They have property, and accumulated capital. Not me, not my generation. “
An ING bank investigation found that the Dutch saved € 22 billion more than usual during the two dozen months of the pandemic, swelling the woolen socks of half of the wealthiest population to 57 billion euros. Enough to buy a lot of Christmas presents …
This report was partially funded with support from the Transat International Journalism Fund-The duty.