BA.5 variant detected in the Netherlands The BA.5 variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was detected for the first time in the Netherlands this week.
Situation growing worse in the Netherlands In the week from 17 to 23 March, 46,005 people received a positive test result for COVID-19, an increase of 16% compared to the week before that. The reproduction number continued to rise, from 1.06 on 1 March to 1.11 on 8 March.
The 2020 Nitrate Report: nitrate levels in the water on farms on the rise again since 2017 More nitrogen and phosphorus have been ending up in the soil on farms since 2015. As a result, nitrate concentrations have been rising since 2017 in leachates and ditch water from those farms.
Number of positive COVID-19 tests at the same level as last week In the week from 2 to 9 March, 31,959 people received a positive test result for COVID-19, about the same as in the week before that. More than 360,000 people were tested, an increase of nearly 14% compared to the week before that.
Policy on coronavirus measures causes friction, but compliance is still high for now Compliance with the coronavirus measures in the Netherlands, such as the night-time curfew, working from home and avoiding crowds, is still high.