Cry for mayor Depla: corona policy must be revised

Mayor Paul Depla of Breda, together with Mayor Femke Halsema, has strongly criticized the corona policy. They believe that it should be fundamentally different. “The logic in the corona policy is missing. This policy draws too heavily on citizens and local government,” they write in an opinion piece in De Volkskrant.

Thirty mayors signed the letter, including mayor John Jorritsma of Eindhoven, Jack Mikkers of Den Bosch, Theo Weterings of Tilburg and Han van Midden van Roosendaal.

Pulling the government’s ad hoc measures according to the mayors from Breda and Amsterdam ‘too great a trade-off on stamina and on trust’ in the board. They find it impossible to forcefully convince citizens of the measures. “Not only does it exhaust the enforcement apparatus, but a repressive government is pitted against its own citizens.”

Motivation to follow rules
According to the authors, rules only work if people are convinced of the necessity for them and if they are overwhelmingly willing to follow them voluntarily. The fact that hospital admissions are decreasing and surrounding countries are taking much less severe measures means that fears about the virus are decreasing. Just like the motivation to follow rules.

The fact that a number of members of parliament themselves violate the emergency legislation and in some cases even call on people to oppose it, makes enforcement even more difficult.

Langetermijnperspectief
The mayors argue for a long-term perspective and for rules that are predictable, logical and reasonable. They also believe that the unequal and selective enforcement policy must stop.

The authors urge the government to fundamentally review its corona policy. They want health care to be organized in such a way that ‘free living together’ is not hindered by it or as little as possible.

“Only when citizens can derive hope from the policy and see that measures actually lead to an improvement in their personal circumstances and their environment, can they have confidence in the administrators who are responsible for this.”

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