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Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 10-03-2023 | 16:00

Coronavirus has now become endemic in the Netherlands. In this new phase, the virus is constantly present in the population, but nearly everyone has developed immunity, either through vaccination or a previous infection. This means few people are becoming severely ill. Now that the virus is no longer causing major social and economic disruption, measures to control its spread are no longer necessary.

‘The withdrawal of the last coronavirus guidance marks the end of a remarkable period that we won’t soon forget. And we must not forget, because coronavirus is here to stay. We will have to learn to live with the virus, and I’m glad to say we’re becoming better at doing that.’
Ernst Kuipers, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport

Use common sense

The government urges everyone to use their common sense if they develop flu or cold symptoms, whether or not they’re caused by coronavirus. So if you have a cough, a sore throat or a runny nose, or if you have to sneeze a lot, common sense means you should:

1. stay at home
2. ask your manager if you can work at home if your symptoms are mild
3. avoid physical contact with people who could become seriously ill from a cold or flu virus. If this is impossible, for instance because you are an informal carer, wear a face mask
4. cough and sneeze into your elbow, and wash your hands thoroughly and regularly (you should always do this, even if you are in good health)
5. ventilate indoor spaces well.

‘The pandemic showed that a few basic measures – like washing hands and coughing into your elbow – can slow the spread of viruses. This applies not only to coronavirus but also to other viruses. So let’s use our common sense whenever we have flu or cold symptoms. This will benefit everyone, not just people in medically at-risk groups.’
Minister Kuipers

No new vaccination campaign in the spring

The government has decided not to organise a new round of vaccinations this spring. This is not necessary in view of how the pandemic is evolving, the degree of population immunity and the predominance of the Omicron variant, which causes less severe illness. Another repeat dose is unlikely to give people much extra protection, although it might be necessary for people with certain health conditions. Doctors will assess this for individual patients and refer them for an extra repeat dose if necessary. The primary vaccination series and repeat vaccination are still available for everyone aged 12 and over who has not yet had them.

GGD test centres being closed

The municipal health service (GGD) is closing its test centres now that the OMT has said there is no benefit in continuing large-scale testing. If you need proof of recovery in order to generate a Covid-19 certificate (DCC) for international travel, you can get tested by the GGD up to and including 17 March. After this date, you will need to go to a commercial testing centre for this. This also applies to people who need a negative test result for international travel.

Monitoring the virus still important

We don’t know how the virus will develop, so monitoring and surveillance remain important. Hospitals have a major role to play in this. Effective surveillance allows us to detect new coronavirus variants that could cause more severe illness or be more infectious. And we can see if the current vaccination programme still offers enough protection.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 14-11-2022 | 14:10

‘Each child has the right to grow up and develop in a safe home environment. When this right is threatened, families must be offered help and support to turn the situation around. As a last resort, the government can intervene in the family’s life for the protection of the child’, according to the responsible minister and state secretary in their letter to the House of Representatives. ‘We are deeply saddened that the help and support on offer currently fall short, despite the unceasing efforts of hard-working professionals. We appreciate the stakes and feel the sense of urgency.’

Lightening workloads

Minister for Legal Protection Franc Weerwind and State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport Maarten van Ooijen intend to lighten the workloads of youth protection professionals by assigning some of their tasks to others, for instance to legal assistants or behavioural experts.

The government already announced a broad raft of measures to improve youth protection in September. This is now being expanded. As an example, the central government and the municipalities will make a sum of 20 million euros available next year to lighten the workloads of youth protection professionals, on top of 10 million euros spread out over several years to attract more experts from other disciplines to the profession. In addition, efforts are under way to speed up the introduction of long-term improvements. An important basic principle for the government in this respect is to heed the call from the sector to give it plenty of time to expand on existing best practices, instead of introducing new policies. This will prevent a further increase in workloads.

Priority for youth support

The minister and state secretary are calling on municipalities and providers to prioritise children who are the subject of a court-imposed protection order when approving requests for youth support. Exceptions should be made if the need of a child without a protection order is more urgent. An assessment framework to help municipalities and providers with these decisions will be introduced in the second quarter of next year.

Furthermore, the government will introduce measures to limit the number of referrals to youth protection agencies. In practice, too many youth protection referrals are being made in the case of – for instance – complex and messy divorces and child-rearing issues caused by high debts or addition in the family, whereas these could be prevented by offering help and support at an earlier stage. As a result, fewer children will need youth protection, relieving the pressure on agencies.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 24-05-2022 | 13:41

Health minister Ernst Kuipers designated the monkeypox as a category A disease today. This is in line with the advice of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). It means doctors must report new or suspected cases immediately to prevent the virus from spreading. This enables people carrying the virus to be identified at an early stage, so that they can isolate. Their contacts may also have to follow certain measures, like quarantining. Measures to control the disease are aimed specifically at infected individuals and their contacts. General measures for everyone are unlikely to be necessary.

People with a confirmed or suspected monkeypox infection should isolate at home. They can be tested. If the result of this test is negative, they can end their isolation. If they test positive, they should continue isolating until they are no longer infectious. This is not until their skin has healed completely.

Monkeypox

Monkeypox is a disease that occurs mostly in West and Central Africa. It mainly infects rodents but people can also get the disease. Symptoms are usually mild.

For more information about monkeypox, go to the website of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
 

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 15-02-2022 | 19:10

Step 1: effective immediately

Effective immediately the recommendation to receive no more than 4 visitors a day is cancelled. The advice on working from home as much as possible is changed to a recommendation to work no more than half the time at the office.

Step 2: 18 February

From Friday 18 February all locations in the Netherlands will be allowed to stay open until 01.00. Until 25 February, the coronavirus entry pass (3G) must be shown at locations where this is currently mandatory, such as restaurants, bars, cinemas, theatres and music venues and at professional sporting events. Once you are inside any of these locations, the rules on assigned seating, wearing a face mask and keeping 1.5 metres apart will no longer apply and capacity will no longer be limited. At locations accommodating more than 500 people, however, assigned seating and face masks will still be mandatory. The recommended period of self-isolation after a positive test result will be shortened to 5 days, but you must be symptom-free for at least 24 hours before you stop self-isolating.

Step 3: 25 February

On Friday 25 February we will take the final step. From then, opening times will return to normal and we will lift the following requirements: showing a coronavirus entry pass (3G) at locations accommodating fewer than 500 people, staying 1.5 metres apart, wearing face masks while walking around bars and restaurants, schools and shops, having a limited number of visitors, and assigned seating in bars, restaurants and other venues. That means that large night clubs, discotheques, festivals and events can open up without limitations. At indoor locations accommodating more than 500 people where there is no assigned seating, for example night clubs and festivals, everyone must show a negative test result. This does not apply at events where there is a continuous flow of visitors, such as trade fairs and conferences. To ensure that vulnerable people are able to travel safely, the requirement to wear a face mask on public transport and at airports will remain in force even after 25 February.

On 15 March the government will evaluate the remaining rules including the face mask requirement for public transport, the pre-admission testing requirement (1G) and the advice on working from home.

All the rules, recommendations and conditions are explained in more detail at government.nl/coronavirus.

Moving on together: recommendations for everyone

After nearly 2 years’ experience dealing with coronavirus, we have learned how difficult it is to cope with the measures that restrict us in our daily lives. And with the relaxation of the measures. So we need to stay vigilant and help each other so that we avoid infecting others. The virus is still among us. So it is advisable for everyone to keep following the recommendations that have proven effective in limiting the spread of the virus: washing your hands, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, not shaking hands, keeping your distance and wearing a face mask in crowded places, making sure there is plenty of fresh air, self-testing regularly, getting tested when you have symptoms, getting vaccinated and getting a booster shot.

Self-isolation

The self-isolation recommendation will be relaxed as of Friday 18 February. The minimum period of isolation will be shortened from 7 days to 5 days (if you are symptom-free for 24 hours). You should still self-isolate after a positive test, even if you have had a booster vaccine. This will prevent you from infecting the people you live with and others. If you have tested positive and have symptoms of COVID-19, the self-isolation period begins from the time you developed symptoms. If you test positive but do not have symptoms, the period starts on the test date. 

For the most recent self-isolation and quarantine rules and to get personal advice based on your situation, visit: quarantainecheck.rijksoverheid.nl/en.

Travelling abroad

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will no longer issue travel advisories based solely on a country’s coronavirus situation. Instead it will once again take all security and health risks into consideration. This means that travel outside Europe will soon become easier. From 25 February, travellers arriving in the Netherlands will no longer be required to self-quarantine.

The advice to travellers remains to prepare well before travelling. Coronavirus has not gone away. And measures still apply abroad. This includes mandatory testing, QR codes and face masks. Read the full travel advisory for your country of destination on NederlandWereldwijd.nl (in Dutch) or in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Travel App (Reisapp) before you plan your trip, again right before you leave and during your travels.

Visual aids used by health minister Ernst Kuipers

During the press conference, health minister Ernst Kuipers used various visual aids to explain:

• the increase in the number of positive tests since January. It appears that we are past the peak;
• that hospital admissions are stable, despite the high number of cases;
• the 3 steps for reopening the Netherlands;
• which recommendations are important for everyone.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 04-02-2022 | 16:52

Although coronavirus vaccines still offer high protection against hospitalization, the protection against transmission and illness from the virus is gradually decreasing. This is why the Dutch cabinet has decided to change the validity of vaccination certificates in the Netherlands to 270 days. This validity will be applied retroactively. This means that a vaccination certificate expires 270 days after the last vaccination. After a booster vaccination, the vaccination certificate becomes valid again.

The validity of the certificates is automatically adjusted in the CoronaCheck app. This may take up to 14 days.

Paper certificates

With the validity of coronavirus passes being shortened, paper coronavirus entry passes within the Netherlands sometimes have to be reprinted. As of February 8th, paper certificates must be reprinted every 90 days. Please note that this only applies to the Dutch coronavirus entry passes and not to the International Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC).

Help with paper certificates

In most cases, people can create a new certificate with the correct validity via the CoronaCheck app or print it via the CoronaCheck.nl website. Even if this did not work before. In addition, many libraries have an Information point Digital Government. They can help people get a paper certificate.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 25-01-2022 | 19:10

The number of new cases is high, and many people are self-isolating or self-quarantining at home. The easing of restrictions will probably cause the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals to increase. But despite the risks and uncertainties, the government believes it is responsible to take this big step. Because prolonging the measures that so restrict our daily lives is also harmful to people’s health and to society as a whole.
On Tuesday 8 March the government will decide if more restrictions can be eased.

General measures and guidance

• In general, all locations may be open from 05:00 to 22:00.
• Always stay 1.5 metres apart.
• Receive no more than 4 visitors aged 13 and over a day. Visit no more than 1 household a day.
• Do a self-test before visiting others or receiving visitors, and before going to a location where there are a lot of people.
• Face masks are mandatory for everyone aged 13 and over on public transport, at stations, on platforms and at bus and tram stops. You must also wear a face mask when walking around in public indoor spaces such as shops, museums, cinemas and hospitality venues. You can take your face mask off when seated in cinemas, theatres and hospitality venues.
• Wearing a face mask is advised wherever it is not possible to stay 1.5 metres apart, such as busy shopping streets.
• Assigned seats are mandatory in public indoor spaces such as restaurants, bars, theatres and cinemas.
• Everyone aged 13 and over must show a coronavirus entry pass at locations where this is mandatory, such as restaurants, bars, theatres and music venues, museums, cinemas, zoos, amusement parks, saunas and casinos. At sports facilities, a coronavirus entry pass is required for people aged 18 and over.
• At locations where there is a continuous flow of people, such as museums, capacity is limited to 1 visitor per 5 square metres, up to a maximum of 1,250 in each space.
• Maximum capacity at locations with assigned seating is equal to the number of visitors that can be accommodated 1.5 metres apart. (This is around 1/3 of normal capacity.)
• No more than 1,250 visitors are allowed at indoor locations for sports, events, culture and the arts.
• Events without assigned seating, such as festivals, are not yet permitted.
• Large events (with more than 1,250 visitors) with assigned seating may only take place outdoors.
• Work from home. If that is not possible, always stay 1.5 metres apart at work.

See the brief overview of basic rules, measures, conditions and exceptions on government.nl.

Quarantine

The advice on self-quarantining is changing.
If you have had contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, you do not have to self-quarantine if you:

• have no symptoms

AND

• are a pupil at primary school or secondary school, or a child that goes to daycare; OR
• are a student younger than 18 at an institution for secondary vocational education (MBO) or higher education (HBO or university); OR
• have established together with your employer that your role concerns an essential operational process and you satisfy the conditions set out on Rijksoverheid.nl (‘Quarantine and workers in essential operational processes’, in Dutch); OR
• received your booster vaccination at least one week ago; OR
• tested positive for coronavirus less than 8 weeks ago.
• If you have symptoms of COVID-19:
• stay at home and do a self-test immediately;
• if the result of the self-test is positive, get tested by the municipal health service (GGD) as soon as possible;
• if you get a positive test result, self-isolate at home.

In all cases, avoid contact with older people and people in at-risk groups for 10 days after your last contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.
For the most up-to-date information on the quarantine rules, go to the Quarantine Check. Keep in mind that the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the GGD need to update their policy and procedures. This takes a little time, so their information might not yet be up-to-date right away.

Moving forward together

We have been fighting the coronavirus pandemic for nearly two years. Not only have we learned how difficult it can be to cope with measures that restrict us in our daily lives, but also how difficult it can be to ease those restrictions. We all want to avoid a reversal of the steps to reopen society. This means we need to stay vigilant, and help each other follow the general rules and guidance that still apply. Only together can we move forward.

Health minister uses visual aids during presentation

During the press conference health minister Ernst Kuipers used various visual aids to explain:

• the impact on society when a high number of people are self-isolating;
• that fewer people need to be hospitalised if they have been vaccinated, especially after getting a booster jab.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 14-01-2022 | 20:30

Education, culture and sport

Secondary vocational education (MBO) and higher education (HBO and universities) can reopen for in-person learning. All indoor and outdoor sports activities and artistic and cultural activities (such as music, theatre and dance) are permitted again, but without spectators/audiences. Adults may now also take part in sports matches and competitions within their own club. People over 18 taking part in sports indoors or in artistic and cultural activities indoors and outdoors must show a coronavirus entry pass.

Shops and contact-based industries

Non-essential shops can reopen until 17.00. People must stay 1.5 metres apart and wear face masks, the number of shoppers must be limited, and hygiene rules must be followed. Hairdressers, nail technicians, sex workers and others in contact-based professions may see customers before 17.00. For an overview of all the rules and conditions, and the answers to frequently asked questions, see Government.nl/coronavirus.

Face masks

Wearing a face mask is advised in any place where it is not possible to stay 1.5 metres apart. This now also applies at busy outdoor places such as shopping streets. It also applies in the workplace. People are now advised to wear a disposable face mask. The government advises against wearing fabric masks and homemade masks. Read all the r ules and advice on wearing face masks.

Self-quarantine

Close contacts of a person who has coronavirus do not need to self-quarantine if they do not have symptoms themselves and they received their booster vaccination at least 1 week ago or have had coronavirus in the past 8 weeks. This applies with immediate effect.

Advice on self-quarantining for people in certain jobs who have not yet received their booster vaccination or have not had coronavirus recently will be issued soon. Read more about self-quarantining and self-isolating due to coronavirus and when to get tested.

Other measures

Due to the Omicron variant the daily number of infections is higher than at any point during the pandemic. This means there is still a risk that the healthcare system will become overburdened. The high number of people testing positive and the rules on self-quarantining means many people are unable to work. This could lead to major problems.

From 15 January 2022 the following measures apply:

• Always stay 1.5 metres apart.
• If you have symptoms, stay at home and do a self-test. If the result is positive get tested by the municipal health service (GGD).
• Receive no more than 4 visitors aged 13 and over a day. Visit no more than 1 household a day.
• Outdoors, people are advised not to meet in groups of more than 4 people aged 13 and over.
• All restaurants, bars and cafés are closed, except for takeaway and delivery.
• Cinemas, museums, theatres and concert venues are closed.
• Essential shops, such as supermarkets and chemists, can stay open until 20.00.
• Petrol stations, pharmacies, driving schools, notaries, lawyers and other essential service providers can be open for their normal opening hours.

These measures apply in addition to the existing restrictions and advice, such as the basis rules, the face mask requirement, the advice to do a self-test before visiting others or receiving visitors and the advice to work from home. People aged 70 and over are advised to limit their contact with others, including children, as much as possible and to stay 1.5 metres apart.

See the brief overview of basic rules, measures, conditions and exceptions.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 19-09-2023 | 15:35

Protecting the democratic rule of law

We must protect the functioning of our democratic rule of law and continue the detection and prosecution of criminals without any let up whatsoever. For this reason the government is structurally making 112 million euros available to improve and expand the surveillance and protection system. In order to prevent criminal organisations getting the upper hand we are collaborating with the police, the public prosecution service and the judiciary as private partners and we are implementing policy at all levels, in other words at international, national and local level. This approach is based on four objectives: 1) Prevent vulnerable young people ending up in, or slipping even further into, a life of crime, 2) Disrupt the earnings model and smash criminal networks, 3) Punish perpetrators, and 4) Protect people who, on a daily basis, work on the front line in this approach.

The digital threat posed by criminals and other countries is also as great as it has ever been and is also continuously changing. This generates risks for the general public and organisations which may lead to financial loss or damage and have a detrimental effect on the way Dutch society functions. That is why we must retain and implement the Netherlands Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2028.

Investments in youth protection

Every child has the right to grow up at home and to develop safely. Whenever this is under threat, assistance and support must be provided to families. The court can impose a youth protection order on parents if a child aged under 18 is unable to grow up safely in a family. This year, the government is making 43 million euros available for youth protection services and, by doing so, is taking an important step towards finding a structural solution for the problems in this sector. Among other things this funding is intended to reduce the pressure of work for youth protection professionals. The focus is going to be on recruiting new child protection staff and on retaining existing ones, with the aim being to give them more time to provide more effective assistance to vulnerable children and families.

Youth protection is a joint responsibility of the state, municipalities and certified institutions. After this year, the government will structurally allocate 50 million euros to youth protection.

Improvement and enhancement of legal migration

People will continue to migrate to the Netherlands in 2024. They will do so for work, study, love, or protection. The government is making more than 4 billion euros available to manage the influx of people more effectively, accelerate their processing and help them move on more quickly. In this way we will improve and enhance legal migration by taking careful decisions on residency applications. We are also working towards achieving a stable reception capacity so that we can deal more effectively with fluctuations in the number of asylum seekers entering the country. This fixed capacity at the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Centraal Orgaan opvang Asielzoekers, COA) is to be expanded in phases to 41,000 places. Municipalities will be given support with setting up reception centres and if people are not allowed to stay, we will encourage their return to their country of origin. The European Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainian refugees is also expected to be extended by one year. In 2024, 3.2 billion euros has been budgeted for municipal and private accommodation for refugees from Ukraine.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 18-09-2023 | 17:00

Minister Weerwind: “The injustice done to those affected by the childcare benefit scandal continues to weigh on my mind. As a government, we must take responsibility for the role the childcare benefits scandal may have played in placement into care. It is vital that aggrieved parents and children are aware of the help and support available to them, such as the Support Team. That is why I am now offering targeted support to a wider group of parents with this letter.”

Thanks to the Temporary Act on the Exchange of Personal Data UHP KOT introduced on 1 July 2023, it is possible to compare personal data from the Tax and Customs Administration/Benefit, the Child Care and Protection Board and the courts within a secure environment. This comparison identified 1,819 children of 1,168 aggrieved parents who have been affected by placement into care.

Further analysis should reveal whether there are more aggrieved parents from the child support affair who have faced placement into care in addition to these 1,168 parents. Not every court records rulings in the same way, so this requires further analysis. This additional group of parents will receive a letter offering support at the earliest opportunity. Altogether, this is presumably a larger group of children of aggrieved parents than previously reported by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This is due to the new comparison being made with data from 2005, where CBS previously used data from 2015.

Parents who have now come forward will receive the letter offering assistance and support. This assistance is provided by the Support Team, among others. This team assists aggrieved parents and children with reunification, housing and financial issues. Since its inception in April 2022, 500 parents have already reported to the Support Team.

Source: Government of the Netherlands

News item | 15-09-2023 | 14:30

Currently, child support debt is not granted higher priority (preferential status). As a result, child support debt is on an equal footing with other debts and must give way to higher-ranking debts. Preferential debts are paid earlier, after which the remaining funds are divided among the other debts, including child support. This proposed legislation will change the situation.

Minister Weerwind: “The more debts there are, the smaller the amount left to pay child support. This is currently the situation as child support is not prioritised over other debts. The result can be a dire situation, such as a parent not having sufficient funds to pay for groceries, clothes or sports for the children. By prioritising the payment of child support in the total debt, more child support will reach the parent who needs it, and more quickly. In this way, we put the best interests of the child first.”

More child support

Currently, child support debt is not granted a higher priority status. Child support debt is on the same footing as most other debts, such as debts to online retailers and telephone providers. If multiple creditors are involved, the funds to settle the debts first go to the higher-ranking debts, such as a tax debt. Any remaining funds are divided among the other creditors. Research by the Landelijk Bureau Innings Onderhoudsbijdragen (National Child Support Recovery Agency, LBIO) indicates that granting higher priority status to child support debt will enable more child support to be collected. The bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives at the earliest opportunity, after which the House of Representatives will decide when to address the bill.