Dutch weigh options to slow rising COVID-19 infections among children

FILE PHOTO: Children are seen leaving school on a Friday after a nation-wide ban on large public gatherings to avoid coronavirus spreading in Amsterdam, Netherlands March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Eva Plevier

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Virologists in the Netherlands have proposed extending holidays over Christmas to slow a surge in COVID-19 cases among children that has forced half of schools nationwide to send classes home, but the government said it wanted to keep them open.

The National Institute for Health (RIVM) reported a record number of over 110,000 cases in the week to Nov. 16, an increase of 44% from the previous seven days. The strongest rise was among children aged 4-12.