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08.00 – OMT member De Jong: no room to relax further yet

Menno de Jong, virologist at the Amsterdam UMC and member of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), sees no room yet to further relax the corona measures, now that the number of infections is increasing again. He told AT5 that opening terraces at Easter is a bridge too far and that the curfew should also be observed.

In recent days, the number of registered infections rose to more than 7,000. According to De Jong, this was “possibly caused by the limited relaxation. Hospital admissions are consistently high. They don’t go down any further. It has increased somewhat in intensive care. “

According to him, this is probably because young people in particular are infected at the moment. “They usually do not end up in the hospital. What we are afraid of is that the vulnerable population that has not yet been vaccinated will soon become infected. Then you get more hospital admissions. There is a certainty: the number of infections will increase with alleviation. ”

Opening terraces, as hoped by the catering industry, is not an option. “I think from the pressure of infection that it is a bridge too far. Easter is in a week or two. That is too fast in my view. If there is going to be more flexible, I would sooner think of smaller relaxation, such as higher education. I would definitely stick to curfew. We’re not there yet.”

In the second wave since September

Incidentally, De Jong prefers not to speak of a third wave. “We are in the second wave since September / October, which is going on for a very long time. It is a bit like the alpine landscape. It’s a big wave. I don’t believe in it until we get into the valley. We have not yet reached Mont Blanc in the alpine landscape. We must also try to prevent that. “

The most involved ministers will consult on Sunday at the Catshuis about possible relaxation. Next Tuesday there will be another press conference about corona with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Hugo de Jonge. Sources don’t think that eases mentioned earlier are all coming.

06.40 – Major relaxation after Catshuisberaad is unlikely

It is unlikely that the cabinet will relax many corona measures next week, say insiders. The most involved ministers will discuss this on Sunday at the Catshuis and next Tuesday there will be another press conference on corona with Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Hugo de Jonge. Sources don’t think that eases mentioned earlier are all coming.

During the previous press conference about corona, De Jonge said that more may be possible at the end of March, if the corona figures allow it. For example, the terraces could be reopened “around Easter” and colleges and universities could once again partially admit students. There might also be more room for the retail trade. Furthermore, the cabinet would come up with new travel advice for the May holidays and possibly also the summer holidays.

But the number of corona infections is rising again. In recent days this has risen to over 7000. The so-called reproduction number has also risen again. Now a hundred corona patients light an average of 113 others. Furthermore, the number of occupied hospital beds remains high.

Curfew must be ‘off very quickly’

At the same time, the political call for relaxation is growing. D66 leader Sigrid Kaag said on Friday that the curfew “has to be removed very quickly”, because compliance will become more difficult as soon as daylight saving time starts. That is from next weekend. Outgoing minister Ingrid van Engelshoven (Education, D66) was also optimistic last week that higher education could partly open again at the end of this month. D66 rose to 23 seats last week after the election. The new political relations may become visible in the consultation, according to sources.

The demand for relaxation is also getting louder from society. For example, the number of students with depression and burnouts is increasing and catering entrepreneurs are also reaching their mouths. Balancing those interests with the rising corona figures is a ‘devil’s dilemma’ for the cabinet, according to insiders.

The cabinet announced some changes to the corona rules during the previous press conference on 8 March. For example, shops are allowed to receive more customers by appointment and children up to 12 years old can attend swimming lessons again. People from the age of 27 are also allowed to exercise outside in groups of 4 and residents of nursing homes who have been vaccinated can receive 2 visitors.

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