Dutch nursing homes reinstate masks as COVID numbers surge
LOS ANGELES: Nursing homes in the Netherlands have begun to implement a facemask rule for healthcare workers to protect the elderly within the facilities.
According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands increased to 34,145 last week. As the number of infections keeps rising, various nursing homes have begun to request that their healthcare workers wear masks to work.
Almost 400 nursing homes in the Netherlands have reported new positive COVID-19 cases over the past four weeks. “If the number of infections rises in a region, you will see this reflected in a nursing home,” said a spokesperson for ActiZ, a trade association for healthcare organisations.
One of the big issues the healthcare sector is facing is staff shortages. Since the start of the pandemic, many people left the healthcare industry or got sick and now that industry is struggling to find enough workers. The mask mandate is to protect the elderly and ensure they do not lose any more staff.
According to Anneke Westerlaken, Chairman of ActiZ, “it remains important that the government continues to draw attention to the importance of vaccinations.”