Covid-19 patients in ICU down 93% since peak; Some cafes close up over low revenue

The total number of patients with Covid-19 being treated in intensive care on Tuesday decreased by one to 91. It was the fifth day straight where the number of patients held below 100, according to data from patient coordination office LCPS.

There has been a steady decline in ICU patients since the peak on April 9. On that date there were 1,417 Covid-19 patients, which has gone down over 93 percent in two months. Some 2,906 people in the Netherlands have required intensive care treatment for the coronavirus disease since early March, of which 839 have died and 1,529 recovered and were discharged, according to data from nonprofit organization NICE.

While intensive care cases have gone down and stabilized, the Netherlands has pressed forward with its phased plan to reopen the country. Just one week after the hospitality industry has been allowed to open up restaurants, cafes and bars to a limited number of people, some have decided to close back up because their turnover has been too low.

Issues include skittish customers who are not ready to patronize cafes, several days of chillier, windy weather, and the higher costs needed to keep locations open. "We have also received signals from catering entrepreneurs that they have closed their business again, because with all the restrictions it has been far from returning to profitability," a spokesperson for catering association KHN told news outlet Nu.nl.

The rules as of June 1 state that restaurants are allowed a maximum of 30 people inside at any time, not including workers, but everyone still has to keep 1.5 meters away from each other. Similar restrictions are placed on outdoor areas, with the rules likely to loosen up further on July 1