by Emily Manuel
Contributor, Eagle News
TILBURG, The Netherlands (Eagle News) – Update: as of 15 March 2020, all schools, cafes, restaurants, sports centres, and other establishments in the Netherlands will be closed until 6 April 2020. This was announced by Minister for Education Arie Slob in a press conference.
On 12 March 2020, the Dutch government implemented measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. These include social distancing, cancellation of gatherings of more than 100 people, and closure of public places such as museums, concert venues, theatres, and sports clubs.
Universities and institutions of higher professional education (HBO) were requested to hold classes online, while primary and secondary schools, secondary vocational schools (MBO), and childcare centers remain open.
Following the new measures, Tilburg University suspended all campus lectures and limited students’ access to university facilities.
Caleb Meyer, student, said: “the measures taken by Tilburg University have been quite delayed. After weeks of delayed urgent response, the measures recently taken by the university is still uncoordinated, slow moving and not very reassuring. I’m trying not to panic. I’m relying on the support system I have here.”
Florisa Almodiel, a parent from Den Haag, expressed disbelief over the government’s decision to keep primary schools open. “As children can have mild symptoms, they’re everyday carriers of the virus. If schools remain open, parents, schoolchildren, and teachers will continue to interact. We should follow other countries which have already closed their primary and secondary schools. The government should also consider providing childcare to parents who have to work and can’t take care of their child at home,” she stated.
At the time of writing, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) is already meeting with experts to discuss closure of all schools in the Netherlands.
– People remain calm –
In Tilburg, the worst-hit city in the Netherlands, people remain calm. Shops and restaurants remain open but with visibly fewer patrons. Train stations are almost empty with more people working from home.
This is in sharp contrast to the scene two weeks ago when the city hosted one of the biggest celebrations of “carnaval” in the North-Brabant province.
Tilburg is located in the province of North-Brabant where the first COVID-19 patient in the country was diagnosed. The first patient had come from a recent trip to northern Italy and is believed to have attended “carnaval” in Tilburg.