Good news: GGDs are scaling up further | To the space station ISS | in record time NOW

Due to the bad news that usually dominates the front page of NU.nl, the good news sometimes gets snowed under. That is why we make an overview of the positive and cheerful news.

GGDs expect to be able to perform 80,000 tests per day in December

To cope with the increasing demand for corona tests, the Dutch GGDs are going to scale up considerably. About 42,800 tests per day were taken on 12 October, with a minimum of 80,000 by the end of December.

The GGD GHOR light in one roadmap the additional measures to increase the testing capacity in the country. For example, various discussions have been held with market parties about the establishment of so-called XL test locations, where between 2,500 and 5,000 tests per day can be taken.

Senate approves legal recognition of sign language

The Senate has agreed with a private member’s bill from the House of Representatives to legally recognize Dutch sign language. In the Netherlands, sign language is used by about fifteen thousand people.

The Lower House already approved the bill in September. According to the initiators, this can make it clearer when someone is entitled to an interpreter. According to D66 employee Jessica van Eijs, who herself is hard of hearing, people still cannot go everywhere with sign language.

European Commission wants to renovate millions of energy-wasting buildings

The European Commission is proposing a renovation wave as the first major step in the Green Deal concluded at the beginning of this year. In addition to substantial energy savings, the accelerated energy efficiency of buildings should generate 160,000 extra jobs in the construction sector over the next ten years.

Member States can make use of the European Recovery Fund for the necessary investment. The Commission believes that Member States can make 35 million buildings energy-efficient in ten years.

Two Russians and one American to the ISS in record time

Two Russians and one American have arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). They had left the launch site in Kazakhstan three hours earlier. The journey of the American Kathleen Rubins and the Russians Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov was made in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, making the journey twice as fast as previous trips.

The ISS is generally located at an altitude of 400 kilometers and orbits the earth in more than an hour and a half. In addition to astronauts and cosmonauts, tourists also travel to the space station. About 240 space tourists have already made this trip.

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