An Update from Jody in Haarlem, the Netherlands — Where “Intelligent Lockdown” is Being Lifted

Meet Jody Van Engelsdorp Gastelaars from Haarlem, the Netherlands! She’s a good friend and fellow Rick Steves tour guide. She’s also a twin! (No, not my twin!) She’s got her very own identical twin sister, Ruby. And — although Jody’s nearly twelve years younger than I am — she’s been a great professional mentor for me. Thanks to circumstances allowing her an early start in tour guiding, Jody is one of the youngest tour guides at Rick Steves’ Europe. But I’ll let her share her stories in her own words below!

“I won’t sting you but, like a true Dutchie, I will be direct with you.” 

Please give us a little intro to yourself, Jody! 

I am a real mosquito. This is a nickname for a Haarlemmer — someone born in Haarlem in the Netherlands. In the old days, this town was surrounded by swamps and water, and with that (suprise!) came a lot of mosquitos. They were annoying. Mosquito became a curse word, and slowly it became our nickname. Now we wear it with pride! I won’t sting you but, like a true Dutchie, I will be direct with you. 

I’ve lived in Haarlem for almost all of my life, and it is the best place to be — close to de sand-dunes and close to Amsterdam (but luckily not in Amsterdam). So, I am Dutch. Next to being direct, we are tolerant, thrifty, and down-to-earth kinda people.

For a while I studied microbiology and worked as a research technician — I love science! But during my studies I had a side job as a local guide in Haarlem. I never thought of tourism as a career, but slowly I fell in love with the work and applied to become a tour guide for Rick Steves’ Europe. This year, 2020, would have been my fourth as a lead guide.

Mostly I lead “Best of Europe” tours, and I love sharing my part of the world and different cultures and histories with people who have been dreaming about coming to Europe their whole lives. It is a great job, and I can’t wait for us all to be able to travel again when it is safe.

With regards to COVID, what has the situation been like in the Netherlands these days?

I still live in my beautiful Haarlem, and the first confirmed coronavirus case in the Netherlands was on the 27th of February. Since March 23rd, we were under what the government calls an “intelligent lockdown.” This meant that we were allowed to go outside when we wanted, but weren’t aloud to be outside with more than one other person, unless you live with them.

“Contact professions — such as the professions of hairdressers, beauticians, and prostitutes — were forbidden.”

We had to keep a 1.5 meter distance from others (that’s 4.92 feet). If possible, we had to work from home. Schools, gyms, and restaurants were closed. Contact professions — such as the professions of hairdressers, beauticians, and prostitutes — were forbidden. But businesses that don’t require contact could remain open.

A Pragmatic Dutch Approach to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Also, we weren’t aloud to have more then 3 visitors per household. This lockdown was mild compared to other countries and the idea was that it would be harder for the coronavirus to spread, but we would still build up some herd immunity. The goal wasn’t herd immunity though. The goal was to make sure intensive care could handle the amount of sick people, and it was to protect the high-risk groups from the disease.

Our government didn’t see logic in a complete lockdown, since they thought the virus would stay around — and then, when lockdown would be lifted, it would still spread. So the goal was a slow spread.  But the Prime Minister did warn us that a lot of people would get sick. And they did. We’ve had 46.000+ people who have tested positive so far, and almost 6000 people have passed away from the virus. With only about 17 million people in our small country, that ranks us 7th on the list of deaths worldwide per million as of June 2nd.

However, the “intelligent lockdown” did seem to work. At the end of March we reached a peak in hospitalizations and deaths, and after that, the numbers have been going down and staying down. 

Lifting the “Intelligent Lockdown”

Since June 1st, the intelligent lockdown is lowly being lifted. Restaurants are opening again, and inside they can have 30 customers. But the number allowed on terraces is unlimited — as long as the right distance is kept. So you see fences and a lot of space between the tables.

Museums are reopened so I can finally go to the Rijksmuseum again and see the “Caravaggio-Bernini Baroque in Rome” exhibition that is at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum until the 13th of September! The rules are slowly lifting, so changes will be made every few weeks, and if it doesn’t work we can easily go back. 

Borders within Europe are also slowly opening again, and if all goes well, we will be allowed to travel within the Schengen region from the 15th of June. I have already seen a lot of German tourists in the Netherlands this week. And I am excited to see the tourists return — but also a bit scared for a second wave of coronavirus.

How have you been spending your time?

I live alone in a small one-bedroom apartment, so in the beginning I did get lonely now and then. Luckily there are things like Skype, so I did get a lot of face-time with friends. I do get to see my parents and sister, but keeping the required distance, and we only meet outside. Knowing I wouldn’t be on the road this year made it easy to get a bunch of new “flatmates” — aka, my house-plants! They all have a name. I think crazy is the new normal. 

Apart from taking care of my plant-babies, I also bake and cook a lot. And to balance that out, I cycle, go for runs, and do yoga. My hobbies have kind of taken over, which has been good. Especially since I don’t know when I will work again. I am applying for jobs but there aren’t that many out there right now.

Luckily the government is helping us freelancers. If you don’t have work as a freelancer due to the virus, you can get 1080 Euros a month for three months from the government. It is just about enough to survive, but not so much that you don’t want to go look for another job. It’s a typical Dutch approach: We have a social system that will catch you when you fall, but that also gives you a push in the right direction. 

Now that the “intelligent lockdown” is slowly lifting, I am seeing more of my friends in real life. It is so strange not to be able to hug them but amazing to get to hang out again!

Is there any message you’d like to get out to the world?

The secret of the Netherlands is tolerance! The Dutch society has been formed by our ongoing struggle with water. To keep the water out, we all had to work together. We had to tolerate each other, or no dam would ever be built.

Tolerance has built our country, and it’s rooted deeply into our culture. We do not always agree with one another, but we tolerate each other’s opinions so that we can continue to build and learn from one another. Why worry about the small differences when we have one main goal?

Especially during these times when everybody is scared and frustrated, we all want to blame someone for our losses. But we also want a solution. What is more important? Tolerate the values of others — only together will we win, even in the face of this virus.

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A big, big thank you to Jody for sharing her story and Dutch way of life with us! You can find her on Instagram (@jodyengelsdorp) to follow along on her many adventures (especially now that things will finally start opening up again)!

You may recall from a previous post that an old ship-mate friend (Leah) interviewed me recently on Canadian TV. Well, Leah interviewed Jody as well for a subsequent segment! I’ve embedded the video below, and I can tell you it was really fun to watch! (Plus, it shows off Jody’s beautiful Haarlem — so there’s that too!)

The Corona Quarantine Chronicles Continue!

Although (with this post) I’ve stopped titling them the “Corona Quarantine Chronicles” — these updates from around the world continue! I’m still enjoying checking in with friends and colleagues to see how life has been unfolding for them in their neck of the woods. And I hope you’ve been enjoying it too.

Thanks, as always for stopping by! Please share your thoughts or questions in the comments section. And explore these other conversations with travelers from around the globe:

• On “Lockdown” in London with Harry the Piano: insanely talented pianist and fellow-traveler, Harry, let’s us into his London home
• A Scotland Guide on Lockdown Down Under in New Zealand invites us into his “bubble”
• And, What’s Life Like for a NYC Met Opera Performer These Days? My friend, Mike Gomborone, gives us the scoop!
• Finally, the post that kick-started the series — an interview with tour guide and fellow-yogi, Margaret Monnier: Corona Quarantine Chronicles: Granada, Spain

Be well, friends! Ciao for now!