Tomorrow evening the cabinet will set up a plan to relax the corona measures for the coming months. Contact professions such as hairdressers may be able to open their business again next week. Experts in the so-called Outbreak Management Team (OMT) say that easing the contact professions is “an acceptable risk”. They will be tested in case of complaints.
It may also be announced that catering entrepreneurs will be able to open their terraces from 1 June, as will the beach tent owners. From that date, the high school students are also likely to go back to school.
The Hague sources speak of a ‘timetable’, which must make clear in which period which sector can expect less strict rules. A clear reservation is made; everyone must adhere to the one and a half meter society and people with complaints must stay at home. The number of corona patients should not rise too sharply either.
The future perspective is intended for the coming months. The cabinet takes into account that there is no vaccine for the time being and that corona measures will therefore still be needed in the coming year to a year and a half. However, a new phase of cautious relaxation has begun; there will be more emphasis on what is possible and less on what cannot.
Low visibility
Prime Minister Rutte wants to offer a clearer perspective with the plan. Recently, criticism has grown, also in the House of Representatives, that the Cabinet did not give enough insight into the future and that this increased the public’s discontent with regard to tackling the corona crisis.
Rutte recently said repeatedly that it was still too early for a different approach. The chance was too great that the virus would spread again and that would be too dangerous for public health, according to Rutte. Last Sunday in the Catshuis, a number of ministers managed to convince the prime minister of an adjusted course.
No exact date
The timetable does not yet provide exact data for most sectors, say sources in The Hague. It is too early for that. Chances are that there will be a date for the opening of the hairdressing salons, starting next week. This will also apply to the other contact professions, such as nail stylists and beauticians. However, the sector organizations must support this.
The Outbreak Management Team met yesterday and concluded that the contact professions could be relaxed. However, several conditions have been drawn up that they must meet. For example, as with health care workers and teachers, an “accessible test policy” will be implemented. This means that if hairdressers and make-up artists feel sick, they can be tested.
Strict conditions have also been drawn up regarding the layout of the hairdressing shops. As with shops, people should be prevented from getting too close to each other as much as possible. The use of mouth masks for contact professions will be voluntary, the advice is.
‘Major consequences for major events’
The government actually planned to look ahead to eases after 19 May around 12 May. “Rutte was convinced in the Catshuis that he should look more emphatically at the future,” said NOS reporter Xander van der Wulp. “Also because the vaccine will take a long time to come.” The transition phase of perhaps a year and a half to the vaccine will certainly be drastic for large events and gatherings in large stadiums, Van der Wulp emphasizes.
The specialists of the OMT yesterday prepared an advice that will be discussed tomorrow afternoon in the Ministerial Committee on Crisis Management. Then comes the press meeting with at least Prime Minister Rutte and possibly also Minister De Jonge of Public Health.
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