In mid-December, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a strict lockdown of the prime minister of the federal states. A day later, Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Netherlands followed this example. Today media reported that the German lockdown has been extended until the end of January. A harbinger of an extension in the Netherlands after January 19?
“I think so, yes,” says Fritz Roosendaal, professor of clinical epidemiology at Leiden University. A host of doubts lead him to this sombre prognosis. “We don’t know yet what the exact effects of Christmas and New Year have on infection. But the numbers don’t say much these days. During the holidays, there was more readiness for testing first, then smaller preparation. Obviously, the number of infections is still very high.” .
Even more important are the disturbing reports from the UK about the type of coronavirus discovered there, which is much more contagious. It leads to a significant increase in the number of injuries and an increase in the pressure on hospitals. “It also appears that the variable spreads more quickly among children,” Roosendaal said.
All this increases the chance that schools in the Netherlands will be closed for a longer period. It’s a procedure I’ve always been against. But under these circumstances I will find it understandable. “
