Carnival next week could lead to resurgence of coronavirus, but hospitals are prepared

The carnival celebrations, which will take place in about a week in the Netherlands, could lead to a slight increase of the coronavirus or influenza. An ANP overview said hospitals are prepared but are not very concerned. Three years ago, Carnival was a stronghold for coronavirus, which was just new in the Netherlands at the time. A short time later, the first wave began.

One of the big carnival cities is Venlo. The hospital there, VieCuri, said: "Based on data from previous years, we are preparing as well as possible. For example, we have scripts lying around."

Furthermore, Hospital Elisabeth-TweeSteden (ETZ) in Tilburg, where the first Covid-19 infection in the Netherlands was detected three years ago, is "not very concerned about the upcoming carnival season. We know from the time before the coronavirus that the number of viral infections will increase then, it won't be different now." Also medical microbiologist Jean-Luc Murk of ETZ no longer expects another major coronavirus outbreak "because society has built up sufficient immunity to it."

The Zuyderland Hospital (in Heerlen and Sittard) also had no concerns. The parties could lead to more respiratory infections, but the hospital believes that this increase can be managed "without immediately having to restrict other services."

According to Canisius Wilhelmina Hospital (CWZ) in Nijmegen, contagious diseases can easily circulate during Carnival, but it helps that mostly young people are partying. "Carnival is a fun and important public celebration. If young, relatively healthy people get the flu or a cold, it's not as much of a problem. The hospital advises people at risk for coronavirus or flu infection to "avoid crowded places like carnivals."

In general, Carnival-goers don't just come from the South. Every year, people from above the rivers also come to places like Oeteldonk (Den Bosch) and Kielegat (Breda). But even the hospitals further north are not worried about the returnees. Ikazia in Rotterdam, for example, reported that people in this region don't really celebrate Carnival anyway. Hospital Antonius (Sneek) also said, "No adjustments are needed in our organization specifically for this period."

Furthermore, the Diakonessenhuis in Utrecht shared that while there is "always a possibility" of a virus outbreak when many people gather, "we don't expect it to be problematic numbers."

Other hospitals, such as the Tjongerschans in Heerenveen, the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam and the Gelderse Vallei in Ede, gave similar responses. The latter hospital said it is prepared for an increase in respiratory infections in winter anyway.