Can the children go back to school, the barber shops will open again and when can we go to our favorite restaurant? The whole of the Netherlands is looking forward to the press conference on Tuesday where Prime Minister Rutte will announce whether the corona measures will be extended or relaxed. What can we expect?
Now that the pressure on intensive care has been decreasing for several days in a row, the Netherlands is asking whether freedom-restricting measures, intended to get a grip on the spread of the coronavirus, can slowly be relaxed.
Expectations were tempered last Friday. “Everyone yearns for a relaxation of the measures,” said Rutte. “But there is really no room at the moment to suddenly think that we can celebrate everything next week with a view to April 28.” Even opening the door ajar is still uncertain.
Three anchor points: press ic, corona apps and distribution
For some form of relaxation, three “anchor points” are leading for the cabinet. The reproduction number, which is the amount of people to whom an infected person transmits the virus, should fall below 1 for an extended period of time. The pressure on care must return to its normal pre-outbreak level and regain control of the virus by conducting large-scale source and contact investigations.
Although the pressure on healthcare is decreasing, experts say that the burden of care is still high. Yes, the measures seem to work, but the intensive care units (ICUs) are still dealing with more patients than usual. Leaving the reins now could immediately lead to a new peak, while the number of IC patients should stabilize in the near future. Also because at this moment the maximum of the health care workers is demanded and they must be prevented from burning out.
And although the reproduction number has been below 1 according to the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) since March 16, it does warn that the figures are not complete and surrounded by uncertainty.
Finally, the Cabinet wants to conduct source and contact research on a large scale as quickly as possible and, according to Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Health), corona apps can take over the role of the GGDs in detecting and warning against infections.
Corona apps overload with criticism
This weekend, the ministry held a so-called appathon where seven companies could present their proposal. Several experts who were involved in thinking about the apps already criticized on Friday the way and the speed with which De Jonge wants to introduce the app. The country attorney saw that the apps did not comply with the privacy rules, while KPMG concluded that no security was in order in any proposal.
RTL News found a data breach within corona app COVID19 Alert within 24 hours and the Dutch Data Protection Authority said it was unable to judge the apps on Monday, because the Ministry of Health has not drawn up clear frameworks for privacy protection. “The question is whether that app will be available,” said AP chairman Aleid Wolfsen.
Clarity about schools, catering and festivals?
Nevertheless, the press conference will be eagerly awaited. Are the schools opening again, for example? Some of the parents are happy with this, while the teachers’ union Teachers in Action is concerned about an opening after the May holiday.
They first want more clarity about the risk of infection and the transmissibility of the virus in children. RIVM has investigated this and although the investigation has not been fully completed, the results will be presented to the OMT on Monday, together with international findings, after which the cabinet will make a decision.
Last week, the experts wrote that opening nurseries and primary schools will have “hardly” any impact on IC staffing. “Although more transmission is expected among primary school children and their parents, it is unlikely to lead to many additional IC recordings.” This is different for secondary schools, because students come from different areas. They may therefore be able to ensure that the virus reaches places where it was not yet.
Last week, Rutte did not want to anticipate the question whether the cabinet will also come to a decision on Tuesday about the ban on events requiring a permit.
Festival organizers, among others, are waiting for a decision whether or not to cancel the summer festivals and the football clubs are also waiting for clarity. If it is up to mayors of a number of large cities, all events will be canceled until at least September 1.
What is certain in any case is that the old life as we knew it before the corona outbreak will not return in the short term. The one and a half meter society will remain the norm in the coming period, Rutte emphasized several times.
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The coronavirus in short
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