Polder2C’s and Covid-19: Bring the levee to the people.
- 05 November 2020
- Francien Horrevorts
Covid-19 is a risk that nobody could have foreseen at the beginning of the Polder2C’s project. But it has been something we have had to deal with and will have to deal with for a bit longer. So what is the impact of Covid-19 on our project until now and in the near future?
Belgian-Dutch border
The Hedwige-Prosperpolder is situated exactly on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands. Because of this location we had to perform a delicate balancing act between the restrictions in both countries. We had to take into account travel restrictions, closed borders, hygienic rules, social distancing rules and so on for each country, which varied in Belgium and the Netherlands most of the time. In good cooperation, we have applied rules that make everyone feel safe and meet the governments’ requirements.
Covid and the past
In order to proceed with the research and experiments of the project, people need to visit the Hedwige-Prosperpolder. So activities have been going on, but of course in a safe manner only, following the restrictions that were in force at the time. Until now we have been able to keep the project moving quite well. Most of the research activities and experiments that we had planned earlier have been executed. They may have been altered or been done by fewer people than was previously planned, but we have found ways to proceed.
Covid and the future
We do not know what the future holds and how exactly the Coronavirus will evolve during the coming months. But what we do know: we will continue working at the project site, strictly following the applicable measures of the countries and organisations involved. We look carefully at whether activities should be held in the field or whether they can be done online. Where possible, we postpone activities or organise them with fewer people.
Responsible person of the day
For every activity at the project site we appoint a person responsible. He or she ensures that all Covid and safety instructions are being followed and is the first contact for, people from the project, the contractor and the Flemish Waterway.
Bring the levee to the people
What has changed? We used to say “Bring the people to the levee!”. Now, since we can only meet up at the project site with a small number of people we are focusing on bringing the levee to the people. Our team is working on video and images to record and depict what is happening at the site. They are making vlogs, livestreams and other videos that will be shared on our social media and website for people to see what is actually going on in the polder.
Questions about Covid?
If you are taking part in one of our activities, you will receive the applicable covid measures via e-mail. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.