THE HAGUE, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the Netherlands topped the 11,000 mark for the first time, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said on Friday.
A total of 11,141 COVID-19 infections were registered in the past 24 hours, 865 more than the 10,276 cases reported on Thursday. Despite this increase, the RIVM said the figures were "stable."
The higher number of positive tests could, according to the RIVM, be explained by delayed results and larger numbers of tests administered. The number of daily deaths from the novel coronavirus in the Netherlands grew by 87, compared to 62 on Thursday.
On Oct. 13, the Dutch government announced a "partial lockdown" to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. Cafes and restaurants were closed for one month. So far, the government has not announced additional measures.
"We will proceed step by step to see if we have to do more," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during his weekly press conference here on Friday.
As the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries across the globe -- including China, Russia, Britain and the U.S. -- are racing to find a vaccine. Enditem
