All Dutch security regions now above Covid alert level

All 25 security regions in the Netherlands were dealing with such a high number of residents who tested positive for a coronavirus infection on Sunday that they were all above the national government’s alarm benchmark for too many infections per capita, the country’s Coronavirus Dashboard showed. The calculation has been a key factor for the government’s decision making about new measures to curb the spread of the virus.

This was the first time ever that all of the security regions were above that limit, Trouw reports.

The government set this alert level between the first and second wave of the coronavirus. If the number of infections rise above 7 per 100 thousand residents, measures need to be taken to curb the spread of the virus, the government stated. Such restrictions have already been taken in more than half of the country.

Over the past weeks, there was always at least one security region below the alert level line, usually Zeeland and Zuid-Limburg, according to the newspaper. Zeeland had 51 positive tests between Saturday and Sunday morning, pushing the security region to 13.3 Covid-19 positive people per 100 thousand residents. Zuid-Limburg had the lowest number of infections in the country on Sunday, relatively speaking. 48 people tested positive, bringing the security region to 8 positive tests per 100 thousand resident.

Amsterdam-Amstelland had the most new infections on Sunday. 539 people tested positive, and 50.3 per 100 thousand inhabitants now have the virus. In Haaglanden there were 41.5 positive tests per 100 thousand citizens on Sunday, and in Rotterdam-Rijnmond there were 36.9 per 100 thousand. 

Throughout the country, a total of 4,007 people tested positive for Covid-19 between Saturday and Sunday morning, a new day record. That comes down to 23 cases per 100 thousand Netherlands residents, the 21st consecutive day that the country as a whole was above the alert level.