The Consultation Committee has lost valuable time by not tightening up the measures now. That is what Margot Cloet of the hospital umbrella organization Zorgnet Icuro said Radio 1. Virologists Marc Van Ranst and Steven Van Gucht had also previously criticized the government’s decisions.
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Margot Cloet, top woman of the largest umbrella association of residential care centers and hospitals in Flanders, calls herself ‘disappointed’ by what the Consultation Committee announced on Friday evening. “I think we’ll lose a week.”
‘I had hoped that measures would be taken that would reduce the number of admissions and infections,’ said Cloet. Radio 1. “Now it looks like we’re driving blind and crashing into the wall.”
‘We must ensure that the current measures are properly complied with,’ said Cloet. ‘Maybe we had to be a bit stricter now and make a decision to be able to relax again afterwards. Don’t make announcements about things to come, but look at the numbers and make decisions. ‘
Cloet understood the people’s fatigue for the measures. ‘It is difficult for all of us. But I really hope we don’t get back into overcrowded hospitals where people die and we have to postpone care. I think we need to look at public health now, for the benefit of all of us. ‘
‘I feel a great hesitation to disappoint the population,’ concluded Cloet, ‘but if there are more hospital admissions and more infections, we will have to disappoint again.’
Van Gucht: ‘Measures for Easter’
‘These are measures for Easter, but the infections are now taking place. We would rather see that slowed down, ‘said virologist Steven Van Gucht at VRT on Friday evening. He reiterated that the experts had cited some elements of Plan B, such as suspending extracurricular activities to protect the schools and classes. After all, these activities create large networks between different classes and schools.
‘We see a peak in infections in the ages of ten to twelve years, that’s where most of the hobbies are,’ says Van Gucht. “I think it is no coincidence that we now see a sharp peak there.” After the Consultation Committee, the importance of teleworking was again emphasized. “We count on the sense of responsibility of employers and employees,” said Van Gucht. ‘You will never solve that with checks alone.’
Van Ranst: ‘Insufficient’
Virologist Marc Van Ranst was also not tender to the decisions of the Consultation Committee on Friday evening. ‘It is clear that these measures are insufficient,’ he says at VTM Nieuws. ‘Actually, there should be a second part. In fact, it has been decided not to make a decision. I fear we will be here again on Monday. It is not difficult to guarantee that this will not stop the situation from deteriorating. The longer people wait, the more difficult it becomes to take the necessary measures. ‘
“If you want to take measures, you have to take them now,” he says. ‘Otherwise it will be too late. This is a strategy of hope. Hope is not wrong, but if things still go wrong now, we only have the possibility of a hard lockdown. This is a dangerous strategy, I hoped they would intervene harder. ‘
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