Large part of NL expected to turn red on EU Covid map

The Netherlands will likely look a lot redder on the map of coronavirus cases in Europe from Thursday. Limburg remains on that color, the second-highest warning level, and will be joined by seven other provinces. The last time the Netherlands was in such bad shape was a month ago.

In Utrecht, Gelderland, Overijssel, Zuid-Holland, Friesland, Flevoland, and Zeeland, so many residents tested positive for the coronavirus in the past two weeks that the provinces are moving up from orange to red. Drenthe, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, and Groningen will remain orange this week but will probably go to red next week. 

Utrecht took over from Limburg as the largest hotspot in the Netherlands compared to the number of inhabitants. In the central province, about 3,700 residents tested positive in the past two calendar weeks. That equates to 280 new cases for every 100,000 people. In the city of Utrecht itself, the number of positive tests is relatively reasonable. The increase is due to municipalities such as Rhenen, Veenendaal, Vijfheerenlanden, and Woudenberg.

The number of positive tests is skyrocketing in every province. Limburg and Flevoland kept the increase most limited. The total number of new cases in two weeks there is almost 35 percent higher than last week's map. In Drenthe, the number of new cases rose by about 64 percent, and in Overijssel by nearly 58 percent.

The ECDC, the European counterpart of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), publishes the map every Thursday. The service looks at the number and percentage of positive tests in the two previous calendar weeks. The map has four colors. From low to high, these are green, orange, red, and dark red. Countries use the map to decide to tighten the rules for travelers from other countries.