Here is a summary of the local news headlines:
THE DUTCH ARE WORKING SIGNIFICANTLY LESS
The number of worked hours has undergone a historic fall since the start of corona lockdown measures, according to the Central Planning Bureau (CPB). At the end of March, there was a fall of 13% compared to the beginning of March. The main reason is the closure of the hospitality, retail and culture sectors.
SCHOOL REOPENING HAS GONE WELL
Most schools have reported that the reopening this week has been positive, according to a survey of primary school head teachers. There are still some hesitation, however, as to the wisdom of reopening schools and with regard to maintaining safety distances between adults.
An estimated 55 000 children did not return to school this week. In most of these cases it was because the child was unwell or in a higher-risk group for the coronavirus.
NEW CLAMPDOWN ON CORONA FRAUD
Anti-fraud organisation, FIOD, is taking a new approach to addressing corona-related fraud. While their usual procedures were long and complex, employees are now contacting suspects directly to warn them they are being investigated and that there will be consequences to their criminal behaviour. In the past two months, there have been 200 reports of corona-related scams, more than half of which involve “selling” non-existent protective gear, such as face masks, at exorbitant prices.
ALMOST 1300 RETURN FROM MOROCCO
Four special flights have brought nearly 1300 people back to the Netherlands, who were stranded in Morocco. There are still over a thousand Dutch people waiting to be repatriated from that country, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
KUNSTMUSEUM TO REOPEN IN JUNE
The Kunstmuseum (formerly Gemeentemuseum) in The Hague will welcome visitors again from 1 June. In order to minimise infection, there will be only two set one-way routes through the museum. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and sales will start next week. A spokesperson said that, in spite of the less than ideal circumstances, they were happy to be able to fulfil their primary task again: to bring art closer to people.
These news updates are brought to you by www.dutchbuzz.nl, in cooperation with Omroep West and Den Haag FM.
