Covid cluster tied to Zuid-Holland bar under control, mayor says

The coronavirus cluster that started in bar De Kleine Beurs in Hillegom in mid-July is under control, mayor Arie van Erk said. Two weeks after the outbreak, "there is no further spreading from this cluster," he said in a video message. "We can breathe a sigh of relief."

Van Erk expressed his gratitude for health service GGD and its quick action to track down all persons who got infected at the bar and those they had contact with. "Thanks to their dedication and expertise, we were able to quell this so quickly," he said.

According to Van Erk, this outbreak shook Hillegom and the rest of the Netherlands awake. "It went very well here, and it will surely continue to go well. But we must continue to observe the measures."

Last week Friday, the GGD announced that De Kleine Beurs had been linked to 39 coronavirus cases - 31 people who got it at the bar itself, and eight in the "second circle", friends or relatives of someone who got the virus at the bar. On Monday that increased to 42 cases - 32 bar visitors and 10 secondary infections.

On Monday, the GGD said to Omroep West that it was cautiously optimistic. The number of secondary infections showed that people were quarantining at home and therefore the spread remained limited.