The moderators have undoubtedly had their hands full in selecting suitable questions for Prime Minister Rutte and Minister De Jonge. The pair answered questions for almost an hour – neatly at five feet, behind large iPads – that could be submitted via Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Popular
De Jonge and Rutte were popular: for a long time there were 5000 people on Facebook alone. Although more and more people dropped out over time.
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The chats – to which questions could be sent – rattled continuously. Reactions like ‘Step down!’, Suckers’ and ‘Hoax’ rained down. But Rutte fans also made themselves heard frequently. “Rutte for Prime Minister!”
Figures are too high
Minister De Jonge immediately came straight to the point; 1140 new infections in the past 24 hours. “The figures are too high,” said Rutte. De Jonge: “It is not going in the right direction. This is reason to be vigilant.”
Questioner Bente wanted to know: are they afraid of a second wave? The minister would rather look at what they can do. “We see the virus flaring up mainly in the big cities. New measures are not needed throughout the country, but we are rather thinking of measures for Rotterdam, The Hague and Amsterdam, for example. I am discussing this with the cities.”
There were also many questions about testing. Roland wanted to know from Minister De Jonge whether certain professions, such as teachers, would be given priority. “It is a complicated puzzle,” De Jonge replied. He will come back to it at the end of the week.
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Have it tested?
Someone wanted to know whether De Jong himself has already been tested. “Yes, in the beginning. That was actually quite painful,” replied De Jonge.
Rutte has not yet been tested. “I have not had any complaints yet,” he explained. The prime minister is aware that he can also get sick. “But I am not scared all day long.”
Is there still time for hobbies? “I am very busy because of the corona”, said Rutte. “But when I’m free, I like to read or see friends.” De Jonge did not want to complain, but is also busy. “When I’m free, I do something with my children. Or I go sports.”
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Deal with critcism
During the session, concerns were also addressed: for example, that vaccination will not be mandatory in the future. De Jonge, who also received questions from dubious submitters such as ‘Mermaid 6’ and ‘Bah bah bah’, received free advice: whether it could all be shorter and more concise. De Jonge takes it with him: “Of course I was a teacher. But I will try.”
Rutte will chew on an idea from questioner Marloes. He sees that many people wear their mouth caps incorrectly. “I’m going to chew on clear mouth masks instructions,” said Rutte. “Maybe we can ask Jaap van Dissel if he can do it for once.”
After an hour of answering questions, the duo concluded: This is worth repeating.
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