[Dutch Lock Down Day Two Hundred Eighteen]
Alternative Title: How to Return Your Under Four Year Olds to Daycare Once They’ve Been Kicked Out Because of the COVID Rules
For those of you who have been following along at home, the result of my covid test on Tuesday is negative. The twins got to see their doctor this morning. And, miraculously, the daycare had room for them.
The twins are back at daycare.
But first the news:
- GP’s under pressure due to sick employees; GGD not sharing Covid test results
- Another 8 regions moved to highest Covid risk level; Situation “very serious” in 16 regions
- Public transit service cuts expected next year
So let’s review the full adventure, shall we?
Saturday 10 October both twins developed a persistent cough and runny noses. So did I.
Monday 12 October we found out that if children exhibit two or more of the corona symptoms – cold symptoms, cough, fever, throat pain, trouble breathing – they’re sent home until the symptoms are gone for twenty four hours. Since their symptoms were two of the most common symptoms of the fall / winter / spring, we fully expected to have them home for the next nine months.
Monday 19 October we still had snot and coughs, so I called the doctor and found out that if you have two or more corona symptoms, you CANNOT come into the doctor until you get a negative result from the corona test. Thankfully, since children under four are NOT ALLOWED to get a test, if a parent exhibits the same symptoms, they can take the test On Their Behalf. I scheduled a test.
Tuesday 20 October I took the corona test
Wednesday 21 October right before I went to bed I checked the coronatest.nl site one more time and read, “You were tested on 20 October 2020. Your test result is negative. This means that at the moment you were tested, no traces of the coronavirus were found.”
Thursday 22 October I called the doctor’s office AS SOON AS they opened and got an appointment for 0940. The doctor and I spoke briefly (in MOSTLY Dutch), he listened to their lungs and looked at their throats and declared them Not Sick. We left the doctor’s office and I call the daycare – they’re fine, we’re all fine, covid is negative, can we come in please please please? YES!
Here are some things I learned that are… troubling.
The GGD (the government health department conducting the covid tests) aren’t releasing the test results / testing confirmation / any information to anyone except the person who registered.
Not even their doctor.
Especially not their children’s daycare.
So I could’ve lied about this whole thing. And the twins would still be back at daycare. Which is terrifying.
But I trust the Dutch to be honest – it’s ingrained in the culture – which is probably why the doctor’s secretary trusted me when I made the appointment this morning saying, yes, I took the test on Tuesday and found out it was negative last night and why the daycare workers trusted me when I said all that and added the bit about the doctor and the clean bill of health.
It wasn’t until just now, when I read that article I linked above, that I realised the breakdown in communication between the GGD and the GPs. Which I get – it’s a logistical nightmare.
But, GAH.
This story has a happy ending and, of course, is only relevant RIGHT NOW because the COVID rules change from week to week. By the time SEO incorporates this, it’ll be irrelevant, I’m sure, but that’s our adventure for the month of October and I’m so glad I can get back to my own hormone issues.
Yay.