:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/7f3ace32-d997-11eb-a317-0255c322e81b.jpg "LIVE | GGD Hollands Midden uses summer schedule from 19 July | Inland")
- Hugo de Jonge: ‘Corona vaccine for healthy teenagers from the beginning of July’
- Corendon descends on the beaches of Turkey again beyond orange travel advice
- Number of households with problematic debts not increased in corona year
- Also Denmark, Latvia and Sweden now on yellow
- Website for free holiday test does not work
14.00 – Advice to GGDs: stop using rapid tests
GGDs should stop using rapid tests, so-called antigen tests, at corona test locations. This is what umbrella organization GGD GHOR Nederland advised all regional GGDs. The PCR test is preferred.
PCR testing is better suited to “this phase of the pandemic response,” in which an increasing number of people have been vaccinated or have had a corona infection, the organization said. These people carry fewer virus particles and “the test properties of a PCR test are better suited to trace the virus and continue to monitor it closely.”
Antigen tests are less sensitive. According to GGD GHOR Nederland, they were “very valuable”, especially when the number of infections was much higher than now and rapid tests were useful for people who needed a result quickly.
Regional GGDs have adopted the advice, according to the umbrella organisation. They have “the space to complete this transition to a different test landscape in terms of time frame within their own possibilities.”
13.59 – All EU countries except Ireland ready for corona travel card
Travelers can visit all but one of the EU countries on Thursday with the new EU corona travel certificate. Only Ireland is not ready yet, says the European Commission.
The member states have agreed to accept the QR code with which a traveler can demonstrate that he is probably not contagious from 1 July. Many countries have been doing this for some time. The committee is counting on the Netherlands and a handful of other member states to join on Thursday.
Ireland needs a little more time because a cyber attack has caused delays, said European Commissioner Didier Reynders.
Many Dutch people have already downloaded the certificate. Travelers can use it to show that they have been fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative or are protected because they have already been through the disease.
13.32 – GGD Hollands Midden uses summer schedule from 19 July
The GGD Hollands Midden will switch to a summer schedule with effect from 19 July. This means that the testing and vaccination locations are open for a shorter period of time.
The vaccination sites are open on weekdays from 8am to 1.30pm and on weekends from 9am to 2.30pm. The test lanes are open between 07:00 and 13:00. Visitors can only come by appointment. Anyone who already has an appointment for an afternoon shot from 19 July will be called by the GGD to reschedule.
The GGD has two reasons for limiting opening hours in the summer. The first is the expectation that it will become quieter. The corona infections are decreasing and many Dutch people have already been vaccinated. The second reason is that there is a greater chance of warm days, according to the GGD.
13.25 – Less on the way
In corona year 2020 we were in the car less long and we took the legs more often. Last year, the Dutch traveled about 25 kilometers a day to, for example, work, school or a visit to the supermarket: almost a third less than in 2019. This is shown by updated figures from Statistics Netherlands on Wednesday (30/6).
The car, in particular, was parked more often. Last year car owners covered an average of about thirteen kilometers a day as a driver, compared to eighteen kilometers in 2019. They walked all the more: about 800 meters per day in 2019, last year it was 1.2 kilometers per day. day.
13.08 – Putin calls for vaccination after record number of corona deaths
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in a TV broadcast called on his compatriots to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the day Russian health authorities announced a record number of 669 corona deaths in 24 hours.
However, Putin does not want to impose an obligation on his people, he said. He did say that vaccination is necessary in his opinion, with which he also addressed the low vaccination rate in the country and the mistrust of its own Sputnik-V vaccine.
Despite this, health authorities view the low vaccination coverage with great concern. On Tuesday, 652 Russians succumbed to Covid-19 in one day, setting a sad record since the outbreak of the virus. The boom is attributed to the contagious Delta variant and the low willingness among Russians to be vaccinated.
The health authorities also said that 21,042 new corona infections have been detected in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of cases since the start of the pandemic in Russia to 5,514,599.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin announced that it will not be possible to vaccinate 60 percent of the population against the virus before the fall. A high vaccination coverage is necessary to contain the virus and its consequences.
11.15 – 1.8 billion euros extra for schools at risk of arrears due to corona
Schools that are lagging behind will receive more money in the coming school year than other schools. In total, this concerns 1.8 billion euros in the 2021-2022 school year. That is what outgoing Minister of Education Arie Slob reported in the AD on Wednesday.
In primary education, 700 euros per pupil will be made available next school year to eliminate backlogs as a result of corona. It now appears that primary schools with a relatively high risk of arrears have almost 200,000 euros more to spend, compared to 5,000 euros extra for schools with a relatively low risk of arrears. In secondary schools this is even about 900,000 euros extra, compared to 180,000 euros for low-risk schools.
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“We know that some students have been delayed more than others due to corona. For example, students who could not be helped at home with their schoolwork during the lockdown. Schools that have a lot to do with backlogs therefore receive extra money,” said Minister Slob in the AD.
10.15 – Update travel advice
8.53 – Russia’s number of corona deaths continues to rise
Russian health authorities on Wednesday reported another record number of 669 deaths within 24 hours due to Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. On Tuesday, 652 Russians succumbed to the disease in one day, setting a sad record since the outbreak of the virus. The boom is attributed to the contagious Delta variant and the low vaccination rate in Russia.
The situation is so worrying that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to address the people via TV broadcast later on Wednesday.
The health authorities also said that 21,042 new corona infections have been identified in the last 24 hours, taking the number of cases since the start of the pandemic in Russia to 5,514,599.
6.50 – Make an appointment from Wednesday for a free corona test for traveling
Anyone who travels can schedule an appointment for a free corona test from Wednesday. The tests are intended for people who have not (yet) been vaccinated against the virus, or who do not qualify for a recovery certificate. The tests are free of charge in July and August.
For some countries a PCR test is required, for others a rapid test is sufficient. The latter goes through a commercial test location contracted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. The appointment can be made via a special web page of the central government: testvoorjereis.nl. The result will be given within three hours of taking the test. A PCR test can also be administered at a commercial test location. The result will be available within 24 hours. Not all commercial test locations are yet connected to the appointment portal or the CoronaCheck app on Wednesday.
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The PCR test can also be taken at a number of GGD test locations, the result will then be available within 26 hours. It can then take another four hours before the result is in the CoronaCheck app. In total, GGDs can conduct around 35,000 tests per day for travelers. This is so that testing for travel purposes does not stand in the way of mapping the spread of the virus. Only people who have a DigiD can contact the GGD. The appointment can be made via a special telephone number that will be available from Wednesday.
An appointment for a free corona test can be scheduled up to two weeks before the departure date. People who have previously booked a trip through a travel organization and who have paid directly for a corona test can get that money back through their travel organization.
6.28 – North Korean leader Kim mentions ‘major crisis’ regarding corona
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said the inability of senior officials to implement government decisions regarding the corona pandemic has led to a “major crisis,” the state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday. In doing so, the officials would have endangered the country and the people.
Kim expressed his dissatisfaction with the officials at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Tuesday. Kim also denounced “the lack of competence and irresponsibility of administrators” and called for a fiercer campaign within the party against “ideological errors and negative elements.”
On Wednesday, the North Korean state news agency reported that Kim Jong-un has removed several senior officials from their posts after a “critical” incident, without explaining the incident. According to analysts, the messages distributed by KCNA, however brief, are an indication that corona infections have indeed been detected in the country.
Officially, the withdrawn North Korea has not yet reported a single corona infection. However, it has reportedly introduced measures against the spread of corona by the end of 2020.
6.01 – Red Cross offers corona aid to undocumented migrants and migrants
The Red Cross will provide practical information about corona vaccinations, shelter, medical care, legal advice and food aid to undocumented migrants and migrants, the organization reports. This is happening in Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Almere and Lelystad.
“From this week, vulnerable migrants will be vaccinated in large parts of the country. It is important that they can get a shot without having to worry about their status,” said Heleen van den Berg, head of National Aid for the Red Cross.
Undocumented migrants and new migrants do not necessarily have to register, but can also get a vaccine anonymously. On the website Helpfulinformation.redcross.nl they can find practical information per city about help provided by the Red Cross. There is also a WhatsApp helpline that they can consult, so that they do not have to “go through countless organizations and counters”, according to the organization. The Red Cross also provides shopping vouchers to those who need it.
Undocumented migrants may be people who have seen an asylum application rejected by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and end up on the street. They often try to stay under the radar for authorities.
3.31 – Germany goes into last day with ‘national emergency brake’
The law for the ‘national emergency brake’ in Germany expires at midnight. Berlin has been using this controversial measure since April to introduce corona restrictions in the areas with a lot of infections, previously a responsibility of the states. There are still discussions about whether or not to maintain the emergency brake.
The emergency brake is controversial because the sixteen states were first allowed to decide for themselves which corona measures they applied. Berlin intervened when the number of infections rose sharply and the states tried in various ways to stop the spread. According to Angela Merkel, national intervention was necessary because the federal states regularly did not act strict enough.
Merkel announced in May that the emergency brake would disappear after June 30, but could also be reintroduced if necessary. At a high political level, according to German media, there seems to be little support for the law that makes the emergency brake possible. But the two organizations of villages and towns believe that this emergency measure should be used again in the event of a significant increase in the number of infections. One of the organizations therefore wants to extend the law.
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