100 days of coronavirus: Dutch dentist reveals mask shortages and strict border issues

Working in both the Netherlands and Belgium has highlighted the different lockdown rules and strict border issues for one emergency dentist

Health workers in the Netherlands are experiencing shortages in essential equipment. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

The moment the coronavirus clock started ticking for the Dutch was February 27, when a man travelled from Italy and became patient zero in the country.

Within a few weeks dentist Marielle Van Weedy, who runs her own practice in the Netherlands on the border with Belgium, found her life transformed.

The latest figures show 1,867 have died and almost 19,000 people have tested positive in the country.

Restrictive measures have been more lax than other European nations with social distancing set at 1.5 metres apart and only businesses that require physical contact, such as hairdressers, having to close. Even florists and toy stores remain open.

Dr Van Weedy, 46, was forced to close the dental practice in the city of Breda. She now works in both the Netherlands and Belgium providing emergency dental services.

"The arrival of coronavirus to the Netherlands seemed to come very fast," she said.

“One day I was working normally, seeing regular and new patients, and then suddenly we were being told that we could only do emergency treatments and for the rest of the time be at home with the children.

“Suddenly I found myself doing 90 per cent less work and, because I am self-employed, this has a huge impact on my earnings.”

The major challenges of procuring effective protective equipment for health workers has affected her daily.

The Netherlands recalled a million face masks that had been delivered from China after discovering 600,000 were defective.

Such has been the deficit of masks, some of her patients have been making batches of them at home and bringing them to the medical facilities for the staff to use.

“As dentists, the nature of our work means of course we are up close with every patient and so when treating emergency patients we need to wear the full PPI: Face shield, FFP2 mask, gown, gloves and surgical cap,” she said.

“It takes some getting used to but it is OK. Getting hold of the right protective equipment is a challenge in itself, and there has been a real shortage of protective clothing and masks in the country.”

There have also been issues over hand sanitising gel and just last week her nurse was forced to call the police after a patient stole a gel canister that was glued down to the table.

Working on call in neighbouring Belgium has posed different issues as it has a much stricter lockdown in place.

Despite its smaller population Belgium has suffered 1,632 deaths and more than 20,000 people have been infected.

“I work twice a week in Belgium and there are very strict controls on the border, which is just a few miles away from here,” she said.

“You cannot get in and out of the country unless you have a very good reason for doing so, and so I need to show my ID, proof of my profession and a 'vignet', which is a permit I need to display in the car. Even then you have to answer a lot of questions before you are allowed through. The government in Belgium provides us with the FFP2 masks and face shields as they are equally difficult to get hold of.”

The Netherlands has closed its schools until the end of April and her three children are receiving online schooling.

“At home our children receive most of their school lessons online, and have been able to take home laptops from school for use at home," she said.

“Officially, we are allowed to go out as a family for exercise once a day, and go to the supermarket for 'essential items' but anything else is strongly discouraged. The social distance here is 1.5 metres, and there are reminders of it wherever you go.

"Life is very different here at the moment. We see what is happening in other countries and we just wonder when it will end.”