Good ventilation is not only required for a healthy and pleasant indoor climate, but it also helps to limit the transmission of respiratory infections, such as COVID-19. Ventilation means refreshing the indoor air with fresh air from outside, 24 hours a day. This ensures that the fresh outdoor air constantly replaces some of the air indoors which is contaminated with fine particles, water vapour, etc.

If you have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 or if you have been in a COVID-19 risk area, you may also become ill. If you are infected with COVID-19, you may already be contagious before you develop symptoms. To avoid spreading the disease without knowing it, if you may have been exposed, we strongly recommend that you stay home and go into quarantine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues travel advisories to inform Dutch citizens who want to go abroad about the security situation at their intended destination. During the corona crisis, the travel advisories are no longer focused on the personal safety of individual travellers. The safety of Dutch society as a whole also plays an important role when drawing up a travel advisory. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and RIVM advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the situation in a country or area in relation to the novel coronavirus. 

Against the backdrop of low infection rates and no more press conferences, the behavioural study has already resulted in a number of survey responses indicating a decrease in perceived threat among the respondents. In line with the relaxed measures, people are also engaging in more frequent social contact, mental and social well-being are increasing, and people are playing sports and exercising more. These are positive developments. In the last measurement, however, we do see a change: the perceived threat of the virus is no longer decreasing. Also, more people indicate that they see a COVID-19 infection as serious or very serious, and consider a second wave to be likely or very likely. In other words, it would seem that concern is no longer diminishing, and may even be increasing somewhat. Note: These survey results were collected before an increase in infections was reported by the Netherlands Municipal Public Health Services and Medical Assistance in Accidents and Disasters (GGD-GHOR) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

Researchers from the Netherlands are involved in a European project which aims to prepare Europe for a COVID-19 vaccine. The ACCESS project (Vaccine Covid-19 monitoring ReadinESS) is a feasibility study to prepare for monitoring the safety and effectiveness of the novel coronavirus vaccines when they become available on the market.

The coronavirus has the Netherlands in its grips. To gain insight into how people view the imposed coronavirus measures in the Netherlands, their motivation in adhering to the measures, and what the impact is on their daily lives, RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment   and GGD GHOR (the Netherlands Municipal Public Health Services and Medical Assistance in Accidents and Disasters) are conducting a large-scale study on this topic. The study explores human behaviour, what people think of the government’s behavioural measures, and how they are doing physically, mentally and socially in these corona times.

Research on vaccines against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is being conducted all over the world.  If a vaccine becomes available, it will not be (immediately) available for everyone. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has asked the Health Council of the Netherlands for advice on how priorities could possibly be defined. RIVM coordinates the control of infectious diseases in the Netherlands. 

The coronavirus has the Netherlands in its grips. To gain insight into how people view the imposed coronavirus measures in the Netherlands, their motivation in adhering to the measures, and what the impact is on their daily lives, RIVM  and GGD GHOR (the Netherlands Municipal Public Health Services and Medical Assistance in Accidents and Disasters) are conducting a large-scale study on this topic. The study explores human behaviour, what people think of the government’s behavioural measures, and how they are doing physically, mentally and socially in these corona times.