The Netherlands began transporting COVID-19 victims across the border from Holland to Germany Tuesday. This was to relieve pressure on Dutch hospitals which have been reducing their regular care in order to cope with an increase of coronavirus cases.

An ambulance transported a Rotterdam patient to Bochum (about 240 km/150 miles east) on Tuesday morning. Another would follow in the afternoon, according to health authorities.

In the Netherlands, COVID-19-infected patients have increased to their highest levels since May. This is expected to continue as infection rates rise to new records.

223,000 cases of new infection were reported in the nation on Tuesday, with some of these infections occurring within 24 hours. According to national health statistics, there were 153,957 additional cases in the last seven days. That’s a 39 percent increase over the week prior.

The COVID-19 patients were treated on Tuesday in 488 out of 1,050 Dutch intensive care beds. In order to make more space for COVID-19 patients, hospitals had already reduced the number of procedures like heart surgeries and treatments for cancer.

On Tuesday, the Dutch Health Authority (NZA), stated that almost three quarters of operating theatres had been shut down in order to reduce the need for intensive care beds.

According to the NZA, only about half of Dutch hospitals are able to meet critical operation deadlines.

Following the treatment of dozens of patients in previous pandemic waves, German hospitals have now offered 20 beds to Dutch-speaking patients.

The Dutch government’s plans to increase the restrictions to stop the spread of the virus led to three nights and over 170 arrests across the country.

The plans call for limiting public access for those with COVID-19 recently recovered or vaccinated. However, it is not clear if the government will be able to get a majority of the required votes in order to pass these rules.