News in Brief

Heatwave Records

The Netherlands experienced record breaking heat with temperatures over 30 degrees (86 F) for sustained periods this August. The Netherlands is warming faster than the rest of the planet, with the average Dutch summer about 2.5 degrees higher than in 1900. The world average is 1.2 for the same period. Officials issued warnings about traffic, the heat, and difficulties following safety measures against the coronavirus as crowds flocked to the Dutch beaches in Castricum, Zandvoort, Bloemendaal, and in Zeeland.

Coronavirus Infections

As the heat pushes the population to seek relief at crowded beaches, parks, lakes, and nature preserves, the rate of coronavirus infections has been spiking over the past few weeks. New cases nearly doubled in the first week of August. As of the 7th of August, there were 56,982 confirmed cases of infections and 6,153 confirmed deaths in the Netherlands. According to Wikipedia the virus spread to the Netherlands on 27 February 2020, when its first COVID19 case was confirmed in Tilburg. It involved a 56- year-old Dutchman who had arrived in the Netherlands from Italy, where the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to enter Europe. The first death occurred on 6 March, when an 86-year-old patient died in Rotterdam. The government issued basic rules in March which included social distancing of 1.5 meters, handwashing, and avoiding busy places and travel. In August the government implemented an mandatory quarantine for people who had contact with a Covid-19 patient. Leaders of the country’s intensive care associations are warning that there could be a second wave of coronavirus as soon as September, resulting in an overwhelming of the Dutch healthcare system. The beach in Scheveningen at 11 a.m. on 8 August 2020, photo NL Times

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