We better get used to a society in which you keep 1.5 meters away from others. In the near future, this will have far-reaching consequences for almost all layers of society. “You can put a normal summer out of your head.”
It was announced less than a month ago that we should not shake hands for the time being. With everything that happened in between, it seems like a lifetime ago. Closed restaurants, closed schools and working from home. The changes went fast in the past month. It is now clear that the return to ‘normal life’ will not go at the same speed.
“We are now in the period in which the measures must do their work,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening. “If we don’t hold on now, we will be short of everything we have built up with all its consequences. Returning to normal will be a long-term affair. We will have to look for the new normal in the 1.5-meter society.”
And that long term is important. Although it is flattening new deaths and recorded infections, we are still in the midst of the corona crisis. “Now we see that the number of IC beds is not the biggest problem,” says Menno van Duin, crisis expert and lecturer at the Institute for Physical Safety. “The damage will become much more visible in the near future. Children who have been out of the picture, those in need of care who have not been able to receive the correct care. That has been completely snowed over in recent weeks.”
“Full trains become a difficult story.”
Menno van Duin, crisis expert
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He emphasizes that this crisis is completely unique. “It has not happened since the Second World War that the whole country is directly affected. Although the scale is unprecedented, it is not a crisis that is full of sirens. It is not a huge disaster with thousands of deaths in one fell swoop, with the bodies on It is different, but so much bigger because it will take weeks, months and maybe years. “
According to Van Duin, we should realize that the return to normal life is not there for the time being, let alone a normal summer. “Put that out of your head. Going abroad on holiday in the summer? The question is whether you will even enter the country you want to go to. It is also certain that this will be a summer without festivals. But the change also applies to everyday things like mobility and the classic way of working. The full trains that we always had are also becoming a difficult story in the 1.5-meter society. The way of life will remain different for the time being. Unless suddenly a viral miracle cure has to be and that doesn’t seem to be in it for the time being. “
The flag cannot fly out yet
It is therefore important, according to Prime Minister Rutte, that we persist. Werner Overdijk, director of the Crisis Plan expertise center, also points out that importance. “Rutte said very clearly that the first signs of recovery can be seen, but that this does not mean that the measures have to be reversed. We may have to stick with each other for quite some time. And that is difficult, because people are not used to this. “
On Wednesday, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced that the number of hospital admissions still seems to be leveling off, and Monday, chairman Ernst Kuipers of the National Network for Acute Care (LNAZ) said that the slight increase in the number of corona patients in intensive care units ” to optimism “gives. The total number of patients on the ICs even decreased on Wednesday.
“So far you can see that the Netherlands has been able to flatten the curve,” says Overdijk. “Now you should see the first results of the strategy used, but it is still too early to fly the flag.”
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1.5 meters in line for the Gamma. (Photo: Pro Shots)
We must guard against optimism
Professor of behavioral psychology Rick van Baaren of Radboud University also watches out for optimism. According to him, it makes sense for people to become optimistic. “You only get unhappy from bad news and you crave good news.”
“At the beginning of the crisis, the seriousness is clearly visible,” explains Van Baaren. “Now you can see positive points and you would prefer to go outside and meet people. Then it gets exciting, because the fear decreases. The threshold for choosing yourself becomes lower. Now you see that we are getting a grip on it and then you need extra motivation to stick to the rules. “
“You are not going to sit back after a beat.”
Rick van Baaren, professor
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According to the professor, this is a natural process. The longer you suppress stimuli, the stronger they become. He draws a comparison between the current crisis and wartime.
“In wartime, it’s clear who you’re fighting. And when you’re on the winning streak, you have to keep going. Now we’re talking about a microscopic thing, but it’s just an enemy. In a war, you know the army winning wins and advancing, that is a huge motivation and you want that strength here too. You don’t lean back after a won stroke. “
That is why, according to Van Baaren, it is important that people start to feel personally part of this battle. “Especially if this is going to take months. If we are really on the right track in a few weeks, then you have contributed to it. This way you can continue the battle longer.”
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The coronavirus in short
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