Breaking the barrier of ten thousand positive corona tests is, according to Minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Health) “worrisome”, but no reason to come up with tougher measures. The cabinet first wants to await the effects of the package of measures of 13 October.
“We now need some time to see whether there is a decline. We expect to see that at the earliest at the beginning of next week,” said Minister De Jonge on Friday after an extra cabinet meeting was held.
The tightened measures are aimed at drastically reducing the number of travel movements and social contacts in order to push the reproduction value below 1 again. De Jonge sees in the figures on road traffic and public transport use that people have become more careful.
“There has been a significant decrease in mobility figures, but not yet as we saw it in March,” said De Jonge. “Ultimately, this should translate into a reduction in the number of infections and hospital admissions.”
Prime Minister Mark Rutte also carefully reads back that the “partial lockdown” has an impact, although he emphasizes that these indications do not say anything about the possible successful collapse of the second wave.
Critics are calling for a strict, but short, lockdown
In the meantime, critics are calling on the cabinet not to wait any longer and to intervene as quickly as possible. The Red Team, a group of independent experts that now has the ear of the cabinet and the House of Representatives and acts as a counterpart to the OMT, writes in the latest advice that the Netherlands must go to a strict but short lockdown.
This would include a closure of the schools for two weeks. This should ensure that the virus is quickly under control again and that the Netherlands can regain some of its freedoms.
In the route that the cabinet is now opting for, it is quite conceivable that the measures will be in force for months to come. RIVM boss Jaap van Dissel recently said that the corona figures may not be at an acceptable level until January next year.
May new press conference on Tuesday
The cabinet and experts will meet on Sunday and Monday to put the latest figures into perspective. With regard to a second lockdown, De Jonge emphasizes that it is a scenario that is on the table.
He understands the concerns of people who are asking for stricter measures, but the government seems to really want to wait for the effects of the latest package of measures. “I can imagine the concerns very well, those concerns are ours too,” said the minister. “But for additional measures, we will really have to wait for the figures.”
The cabinet will announce on Monday whether there will be a new press conference on Tuesday.
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