Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Playground outside a school in Amsterdam Oost
One child playing by herself outside of a school in Amsterdam Oost NL Times NL Times
Politics
Health
Coronavirus
Covid-19
RIVM
Peter Paul van Benthem
FMS
NVZ
hospitals
schools closed
NFU
WHO
Sunday, March 15, 2020 - 09:43
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Coronavirus: Ministry to hold emergency meeting over closing Dutch schools

Multiple health organizations will meet with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport on Sunday to discuss a call by healthcare experts to close all schools in the Netherlands. The meeting on Sunday afternoon was organized after leading medical specialists group FMS said shutting classroom doors was the safest decision possible in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

FMS held an online seminar Saturday morning with a thousand doctors about acute care for their patients suffering from Covid-19 symptoms. "As a result of this webinar, we are asking politicians whether there is indeed sufficient substantiation for the decision to keep the schools open? Many doctors are asking us to argue in favor of closing the schools," said Peter Paul van Benthem, head of FMS and an Ears, Nose, Throat specialist.

"Shouldn't we be on the safe side and immediately close all schools? We think so."

"Being on the safe side also means that public life will come to a standstill," the Ministry said in response. "And if the children were to stay at home, this would have a huge impact on many vital sectors, including healthcare."

The meeting will include the FMS, public health agency RIVM, the federation of university hospitals (NFU) and Dutch hospital association NVZ. They will all lay their cards on the table to determine the best course forward.

So far, the government's hesitation in closing the schools has been because it wanted to make sure people in essential roles, like first responders, could still perform their function instead of staying home. In justifying this, the government said children are not in a high risk group, and should be allowed to attend school to continue with their education.

"Based on the WHO studies, young people up to the age of 20 seem to be hardly affected by the virus, and they play only a very limited role in its spread," the Ministry said Saturday night.

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Covid-19 one year anniversary commemorated with stained glass artwork in Tilburg
  • Secondary school pays ransom after being hit by a cyber attack
  • 4,993 news Covid-19 cases; seven-day average up 22 percent for the week
  • Debate season has started: These were the main points of the first political showdown
  • A year after coronavirus: Dutch say they’re tired and lack confidence in vaccination policy
  • Woman seriously injured in shooting incident

Top Stories

  • 4,993 news Covid-19 cases; seven-day average up 22 percent for the week
  • Debate season has started: These were the main points of the first political showdown
  • Parents in suspected infanticide case were 'convinced that the child was dead'
  • Father rescues children from burning house
  • Teen parents, grandparent of baby abandoned in Amsterdam dumpster in custody
  • Coronavirus average rises for 12th straight day; Vaccinations speeding up

© 2012-2021 NLTimes.nl, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact