Dutch coronavirus app to feature multiple languages

Dutch coronavirus app to feature multiple languages

The Hague, 25 August 2020 - The CoronaMelder coronavirus app is in an advanced stage of development. CoronaMelder is currently being trialled in several regions in the Netherlands and will offer multiple language options, including English, German, Polish and Turkish, among others.
 
The CoronaMelder app, which may soon be implemented nationwide, has the potential to complement RIVM guidelines to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus. The RIVM is the national Dutch institute responsible for public health and environmental issues. A field trial to determine how well CoronaMelder performs began on 17 August. The goal in introducing it, is to provide extra support to the source and contact tracing programme already being run by the GGD (Dutch public health services). Any rollout will be voluntary – whether you download and use the app will be up to the individual.
 
The coronavirus is still present in the Netherlands. This makes it very important to remain alert and follow the basic rules: stay 1.5 metres away from other people, work from home whenever possible, avoid crowds and wash your hands regularly. Do you have any of the known symptoms? Then get tested and stay at home. We can only protect each other if we detect new infections quickly.
 
CoronaMelder could help with this. Thanks to the app, it will be possible to notify more people more quickly if they have been near to someone for at least 15 minutes who has tested positive for the coronavirus. This could be someone you know or someone you sat near to on public transport who also has the app installed on their phone. This way, CoronaMelder can also contact people that the person who has been confirmed as having the coronavirus doesn’t know or remember. In this way the app could complement the regular source and contact tracing already being performed by the GGD. And because so many more people could be tested sooner, the risk of a further spread of the virus is reduced.
 

Also available in other languages

It is vital that as many people as possible use the CoronaMelder app. The app has therefore been developed to support multiple languages. As well as Dutch, available languages include English, German, Polish and Turkish, among others. If your phone is set to any of these languages, the app will automatically work in your preferred language.
 
Job Jansweijer, a researcher with the CoronaMelder development team, explains: “We are continuously testing the use of the app among various target groups in order to make the CoronaMelder app as convenient and clear as possible for everyone. People who want to use the app should be able to do so easily, and this includes ensuring that language is not a barrier. We can only keep the coronavirus in check if we work together. It is therefore important to explain the app’s use and how it works clearly and reach people who either do not speak Dutch or maybe only speak limited Dutch.”
 

5 facts about the CoronaMelder app

  • The app is still in development
  • Use of the app is voluntary. Nobody can force you to use the app.
  • CoronaMelder uses bluetooth wireless technology to connect with other phones close by. It does not use GPS location data. This means that while the app knows who you have been near to, it does not know where that happened. It therefore cannot be used to track you.
  • The app does not require you to enter any personal details such as your name or phone number.
  • CoronaMelder does not provide real-time notification to warn you about people nearby who are known to have caught the coronavirus. This means that even if you have the app on your phone, it is still important to stay 1.5 metres apart and to wash your hands frequently.
 
On 17 August, field tests were begun in five GGD regions: GGD Twente, GGD IJsselland, GGD Drenthe, GGD Gelderland-Zuid and GGD Noord- en Oost-Gelderland. If you live in one of those regions, or are planning to visit, you can take part in the trial by downloading the CoronaMelder app from the Google Play Store or App store.
 
Read more about CoronaMelder at coronamelder.nl or www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19.
 
Baroeg Open Air 2020 to continue as an online festival

Baroeg Open Air 2020 to continue as an online festival

After previously announcing that the festival will be moved to the year 2021 because of Covid-19, Baroeg Open Air has decided not to let Saturday 12 September 2020 go by unnoticed. BOA 2020 will still take place, as an online event.
 
On September 12, 2020, Baroeg will stream music non-stop with live shows of bands that would play this year at the BOA Talent Stage or at the Plee Sessions.
 

Baroeg Open Air 2020 line-up

Performers at Baroeg Open Air 2020 include: Skapiche, All Doomed, Death, Menacer, Father Sons and Deathisfaction.
 
When there's no band playing, Baroeg DJ's and guest performers, including DJ's Okkie and Gareth (a.k.a. DJ Thrasher from PRSPCT) will provide musical entertainment. They'll serve up music from acts who shook the Zuiderpark at one of the previous thirteen BOA editions.
 
The regular Baroeg Open Air presenter, Deef de Kanarie, is also present.
 
The online festival can be followed free of charge on 12 September from 12:00 to 23:00 via Baroeg's Twitch account: www.twitch.tv/baroeg.
 
Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam to fully reopen after renovations

Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam to fully reopen after renovations

The Wereldmuseum Rotterdam completes its extensive renovation and will reopen fully to the public on 4 September. With this, its top collection will return to the Willemskade. The museum marks this moment with the opening of two exhibitions: Kruispunt Rotterdam and Remix Rotterdam.
 
Director Stijn Schoonderwoerd: "With the renovation of the Wereldmuseum and the new exhibition design, the city once again has a modern museum for and by Rotterdam, with its wealth of cultures. The recent positive advice of the Rotterdam Council for Art and Culture shows that we are on the right track".
 
Schoonderwoerd continues: "At Kruispunt Rotterdam and Remix Rotterdam, visitors are challenged to look with an open mind and be surprised. In both exhibitions, connections are made between past and present. In this way, the Wereldmuseum presents the city of Rotterdam as a crossroads of many worlds, histories and human stories. Connecting and challenging the people who live there with a broader view of the world, that is what the new Wereldmuseum stands for. Especially in Rotterdam with so many cultures and backgrounds".
 

Kruispunt [intersection] Rotterdam

In the contemporary semi-permanent exhibition Kruispunt Rotterdam, the museum places its collection in a contemporary context. Supplemented with new works by artists, artists and Rotterdammers who have been inspired by the museum's collection. As a kind of dialogue between then and now, far away and close by. Kruispunt Rotterdam makes it clear that Rotterdam has always brought the world closer, starting with (trade) journeys, and today it is home to more than 170 nationalities.
 
This awareness begins immediately upon entering, with the work Globetrotter Rotterdam by spoken word artist Derek Otte, which places the history of the museum in the context of the current debate in society. The central theme in the exhibition is the dynamics between cultures. The visitor is taken on board on the basis of three questions: How did the collection come about? What stories does the collection tell today? How can the Wereldmuseum best collect in the future to better reflect the cultural dynamics of Rotterdam?
 

Mutual exchange

"Cultures and the identities derived from them are in motion through mutual exchange," says curator Priya Swamy. "For example, Kruispunt Rotterdam tells the story behind batik and the innovation within traditional batik techniques in contact with the Middle East, India, China and Europe. Or take the story of the tulip; a typical Dutch symbol, that entered the Netherlands through relations with Turkey." The museum is also showing new work by Sarojini Lewis and Kevin Osepa, among others, as well as interviews with musicians, such as those of the band Broederliefde.
 

Remix Rotterdam: Boijmans x Wereldmuseum

The other exhibition that is opening at Wereldmuseum on 4 September is Remix Rotterdam. In this way, the museum gives further substance to its desire to be a recognizable Rotterdam museum in which the city's collection is central. The collaborative exhibition Remix Rotterdam is part of the Boijmans bij de Buren project, which is made possible by Stichting Droom en Daad. This exhibition also challenges visitors to the Wereldmuseum to look at their own collection and that of the Boijmans differently. Because what do Jean-Michel Basquiat and Gordon Bennett have in common? Or how does a Syrian apothecary end up on a painting from circa 1425 by the Flemish artist Jan van Eyck? "The combination of historical and contemporary design, ethnography and visual art makes unknown histories visible, resulting in new stories", according to curators Wouter Welling and Alexandra van Dongen.
 

A museum in transition

The Wereldmuseum has been undergoing renovation since 2016. The museum is being transformed into a museum that broadens the view of the world and places history in a contemporary context. The museum has been gradually opening its doors since 2019. Starting in July 2019 with the family exhibition Superstraat, opened by Queen Maxima and in October of that year, Dossier Indië opened. With the opening of Kruispunt Rotterdam and Remix Rotterdam, the renovation is complete and the offer will be complete from 4 September. With the renovation a new climate system has been installed, the windows to the river Maas have been opened, educational spaces have been set up and a completely new visitor routing has been introduced.
 
 
Vacation food without the vacation - Meat Your Friends Live

Vacation food without the vacation - Meat Your Friends Live

During the months of August and September, popular cafés along the Oude Haven aim to provide patrons with a 'holiday in your own country' experience. Every weekend, the entire terrace is transformed into a tropical holiday destination where you have a good time, without hours of driving or queues at the airport.
 

Summer dishes galore

In the Oude Haven, on the Haringvliet, a unique collaboration has been established between Meat Rotterdam, Oesteria and De Vrienden Live. This combination results in a gigantic sunny terrace with live music and delicious dishes: 'Meat Je Vrienden Live', pun intended.
 
Spain, Italy, Argentina and the Netherlands are the countries that will be presented at Meat Je Vrienden Live in the coming weeks. Besides the regular menu, Meat Je Vrienden Live offers a special menu: every weekend you can taste different specialities from one of these holiday countries. The combination of delicious dishes, a cosy atmosphere, matching music and the right hospitality gives guests the ultimate holiday feeling.
 
In particular, the Spanish holiday vibes are doing well this summer on the terrace of Meat Je Vrienden Live. The home-made paella with fresh sangria is therefore named special of the month. Every Thursday evening in August and September you can order this dish unlimited and that's definitely worth it.
 
Meat Je Vrienden Live at Oude Haven RotterdamMeat Je Vrienden Live at Oude Haven Rotterdam
 
 

Location: De Vrienden Live

 
 
Foodhallen Rotterdam opens its doors to local food trucks

Foodhallen Rotterdam opens its doors to local food trucks

Now that food festivals can't take place, the Foodhallen in Rotterdam is opening up a number of spaces to new tenants. Food trucks, rolling kitchens and culinary snack buses are all welcome to set up shop at one of Rotterdam's iconic locations. With the gesture, Foodhallen is offering food truck entrepreneurs a helping hand this summer.
 
Soon the Foodhallen Rotterdam will reopen the doors of the monumental warehouse on Rotterdam's south side. With 1100m2 of space and the large outdoor terrace that the Rotterdam hotspot has at its disposal, social distancing is not going to be a problem. Moreover, now that everyone is eager to eat outside the door or grab a terrace, the Foodhallen is ideal for a culinary trip around the world, without actually having to travel too far from home. At Foodhallen, different food stands bring together tastes and cultures from all over the world.
 

Start your own food stand?

In line with their creed, We Celebrate Flavours, Foodhallen Rotterdam is always open to adding innovative and high-profile culinary concepts to its offering. Do you think you can be an addition to the Foodhallen Rotterdam and would you like to bring your unique flavours to their attention? Mail your concept to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
 

Foodhallen Rotterdam

Foodhallen Rotterdam is located in the monumental Pakhuismeesteren warehouse, one of the most beautiful and exciting places in the city. The building was used from 1818 onwards to store exotic ingredients from faraway countries. Now it is a popular gathering place for good food and drinks from all over the world, housing twelve different kitchens. In the industrial building, the rawness of the old warehouse has been preserved, such as high unfinished ceilings and concrete pillars. The central point is the bar in the middle of the hall, with artisanal beers and international wines.
 

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