Netherlands Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Outcomes
Health System Coverage
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Netherlands COVID-19 Policy
Health System Financing
Health System Personnel
Health System Physical Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Care
Health Information and Communications Technologies
Medical Training
Pharmaceuticals
Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
Social Determinants & Health Equity
Health System History
Health System Challenges
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Overnight Curfew Imposed
“As of 20 January 2021, the measures were supplemented with a strong recommendation to receive only one visitor per day, a limitation of the number of funeral attendees to a maximum of 50 (as of 25 January). From 23 January a curfew was installed from 21.00 hours to 04.30 hours.
“Exemptions apply to the following groups:
“• Those who need to be on the road because of their work (such as policemen, healthcare personnel and those delivering meals at home). These persons need to bring a signed employer’s declaration. Falsification of such a declaration is considered a criminal offense.
“• Those supporting medical assistance to a human or animal
“• Those who provide informal care
“• People walking their dogs (you should walk your dog alone)
“• People who urgently need to go abroad, for instance for urgent family matters
“• Those who are on their way to attend a funeral
“• Those who are on their way because of an exam related to vocational or higher education
“• People who are invited for a live television program
“When you have to go out during the curfew, you need to bring a personal declaration, which is provided by the government on its website, except in cases of emergency, when walking the dog or when arriving from abroad (when you can prove that, by means of travel tickets for instance).
“The curfew is currently installed until 10 February 2021 04.30 hours. The fine for breaking the curfew is 95 euro.
“The start of the curfew coincided with some fierce riots at a several places in the Netherlands. In one location, a testing facility was set on fire during the riot.”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Feb. 3, 2021.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Lockdown Extended To February 9
“There is discussion in society on what shops are considered essential. The government is preparing additional guidance for this, after large shop chains opened up for customers to sell essential goods that are part of their in-store offer. At first, the government presented percentages of turnover for essential goods that would allow a shop to open up, but these were removed by the next day (https://nos.nl/artikel/2360877-kabinet-grijpt-in-met-strengere-coronaregels-voor-grote-winkelketens.html).
“In the press conference of 12 January 2021, the Prime Minister announced a continuation of the lockdown for another three weeks, until 9 February. Some of the measures have slightly changed:
“• Schools: If possible, primary schools will re-open on 25 January (awaiting the advice of the Outbreak Management Team). Secondary and higher education will remain online until 7 February, with the exception of pupils in their final year, practical education, and exams. Pupils that go to school should keep a 1.5 meter distance from each other as of 13 January. Pupils in vulnerable home situations can also go to school (as was the case before).
“• The government awaits the advice of the Outbreak Management Team on imposing a curfew.
“• Travel abroad is strongly discouraged until the end of March 2021.
“In the press conference, the Minister of Health announced that the inhabitants of a few municipalities with high infection rates or where the more infectious variant is found will all be tested, along with one control municipality with an average infection rate. A pilot for testing at secondary schools will start with 15-20 schools.”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Jan. 16, 2021.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Lockdown Reimposed Until At Least January 19 2021
“As of 15 December, the Netherlands has gone into a lockdown which will last until 19 January 2021 and then be reconsidered. The Prime Minister announced this in an address to the Dutch population on 14 December. The measures are the following:
“• All non-essential shops will be closed (except those selling foods, car fuel, pharmacists, chemists, opticians, hearing specialists and shops that carry out repairs and maintenance). Do-it-your-self shops may operate on a ‘click and collect’ basis.
“• All indoor and outdoor public spaces will be closed (including sports facilities, swimming pools, museums, zoos). Elite athletes in top-level competitions may train and play matches. Community centres may stay open to provide services to vulnerable groups. Books can be collected from and returned to libraries, but not read at the library.
“• All non-medical contact professions have to stop (e.g. hair dressers, nail salons)
“• All schools, from primary education to universities, will be closed and revert to online teaching (with an exemption for exams and practical training) as of 16 December
“• Child day care will be closed, except for children from parents who work in critical sectors
“• Apart from the basic rules, people are strongly advised to limit the number of visitors to two persons (and only if you do not have symptoms). Outdoors, only groups of two are allowed (when not member of one family). An exemption is made for Christmas (not for New Year’s Eve), when three people are allowed to visit (https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2020/12/14/lockdown-in-order-to-minimise-contact-between-people).
“• There is an exception for churches, mosques etc., which are not considered public places.
“• People are urgently advised to not travel abroad, unless the travel is essential (family visits and holidays are not considered essential) until the middle of March 2021.”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Jan. 16, 2021.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Imposition of Stricter Social Distancing Measures
“As of 4 November, all public venues have closed, except for shops and some sports facilities. Funerals are restricted to 30 persons and weddings to 20. The maximum group size inside and outside is limited to two persons. It is recommended to have as few as possible visits and if a visit is necessary, it is recommended to limit this to a maximum of one visit per day. More details about the restrictions can be found in Section 1.1 Health Communication.”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Nov. 20, 2020.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Restrictions Being Reimposed In Response To Increasing Infection Rates
“As infection rates are still going up and also hospital admissions start to increase, new measures were announced on 28 September for a period of three weeks:
“• Work from home as much as possible
“• It is urgently recommended to limit the number of guests at home to a maximum of three (children under the age of 12 not included)
“• Outside of the home, the maximum group size is four persons (for instance in a cinema or restaurant)
“• In a space inside (not being a home), a maximum of 30 people is allowed (including children). Exemptions for this rule are, amongst others, funerals, schools, religious services and demonstrations
“• Cafes and restaurants close at 22.00, new customers can enter up to 21.00. Leaving contact details is compulsory
“• Canteens of sport organizations are closed
“• A reservation is compulsory when visiting a museum or a library
“• Supermarkets will have special hours for the elderly and vulnerable people.
“• People with a profession requiring physical contact, such as hairdressers, should take the contact information from their customers.
“• Sports games will be played without an audience.
“• In the open air, the maximum number of people in one place is 40 (including children), and walking around is not allowed. Exemptions are similar to the inside limitations. (https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/coronavirus-covid-19/nederlandse-maatregelen-tegen-het-coronavirus/openbaar-en-dagelijks-leven).
“• Businesses that do not comply with the rules can be closed for two weeks.”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Nov. 14, 2020.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: National Pandemic Response Plan In Place Before Covid-19 Outbreak
“The Netherlands had a national pandemic response plan in place before the COVID-19 outbreak. The plan describes the general actions in case of an infectious disease crisis and is directed towards the Public Health Services. It describes which measures should be taken in which phase of the crisis and who is responsible for determining the phase of the crisis. It also describes how the organisation of the Public Health Service should be modified to deal with the crisis. The phases are the following: (1) after reporting the first case: direct measures including treatment of the patient, testing, contact tracing, and lab diagnostics; (2) scaling up including cooperation with other parties, information provision, type of measures for scaling up, ensuring continuation of usual care; further measures including social distancing, refining contact tracing and diagnostics, hygiene measures, medical supervision, isolation and quarantine, vaccination and prophylaxis; (3) downscaling including cancelling the crisis organisation, after care, evaluation, reporting (https://lci.rivm.nl/draaiboeken/generiek-draaiboek).”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Nov. 14, 2020.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Shifting Responsibilities In Response To Covid
“As of 25 September, some tasks have shifted from the Minister of Health to the Secretaries of State. As a result, the Minister of Health will have more available time to combat COVID-19 without compromising the attention towards ongoing health issues. One of the Secretaries of State will take over the policy areas of care for the disabled, administrative pressures and workforce issues in healthcare. The other one will take over youth healthcare and child abuse. In addition to the coronavirus, the Minister will remain responsible for care for the elderly, informal care, home nursing care, medical-ethical issues and procurement in the social domain. The shift of tasks will remain valid until the end of the mandate of the government (spring next year) (https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2020/09/25/herschikking-takenpakket-bewindspersonen-ministerie-van-vws).”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Nov. 14, 2020.
Netherlands Covid-19 National Strategy: Lessons From Dealing With Covid-19 Outbreak
“The government organized an evaluation of the coronavirus measures so far (up to 1 September), with over 100 experts from various backgrounds sharing their advice on the preventive measures. The government summarised the advice in three broad lessons learned:
“1) Have a good overview: large scale testing and tracing helps with detecting outbreaks. Test capacity should be increased and the corona dashboard should improve its comprehensiveness by including local and regional information.
“2) Targeted measures: as more is known about where the virus outbreaks are and what the source of the outbreak is, more targeted measures can be taken. This will help limit the negative economic and societal effects of the pandemic by taking measures only where the virus outbreaks are found. Special attention should be paid to clearly explaining the differences in regional measures.
“3) Stamina, together: attention should focus on vulnerable groups, care professionals and the work force who are affected by the measures. Understandable communication of the measures targeted to different groups (also those who do not visit mainstream media) remains necessary. People should be informed that they can go to regular medical care and do not have to avoid this in the fear of contracting the virus or overburdening the care sector (https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/coronavirus-covid-19/documenten/kamerstukken/2020/09/01/kamerbrief-over-lessons-learned-covid-19).”
Source: COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor. A project of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the European Commission, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Last accessed Nov. 14, 2020.
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Page last updated Feb. 3, 2021 by Doug McVay, Editor.
