‘Many people want to comply with the measures, but no longer see the logic behind it’ – Belgium

‘Keep the policy logical, human and realistic, otherwise even more people will flout the measures’, Leni Beckers writes in an open letter. ‘After one year of corona, I have more questions than ever.’

More and more people no longer adhere to the measures. Sometimes I wonder if our governments realize why. Put crudely: do they still have enough feeling with the man in the street? And after a full year of corona, I ask myself those questions more than ever.

I myself am in my late thirties, and in daily life I come into contact with many people: this involves a wide range of ages, living conditions, professions and passions. In other words, many opinions and many points of view on the measures.

Many people want to stick to the measures, but no longer see the logic behind it.

I would like to share some of these experiences with you.

Most people understand that measures must be taken to prevent the virus from spreading. More self: they want to stick to this, but logic has been lacking lately.

1. Shopping is allowed, albeit with restrictions. But 4,000 people are still allowed to walk on the Meir, people are allowed to come together on the markets, and on the tram you can sit together with 50 people. But if I want to play a board game at home with four steady friends, I risk a fine of 1,000 euros. In all these public places, the distance of 1.5 m should be respected, in practice this is not always the case. The same applies to ‘separate shopping’: people arrive with two or more and enter separately. They each take a basket and then continue together. Queuing at the till? It looks like an amusement park. At the start of the lockdown, shopkeepers sometimes made a comment themselves. Those days are long gone. Enforcement is lacking.

2. In addition, there is the curfew, the added value of which is not understood by many people. I almost feel like a criminal because I want to eat together with steady friends or watch a movie. If we were offered a clear, logical explanation for such a measure, it would help a lot to understand it. Especially now that it is getting warmer, and we hear all the time that it is safer to meet outside. The current regulation forces people in from 23h50, as it were. The result: no one can go home earlier, so there is no other option than to stay in together at least until 5 in the morning. Isn’t it much more dangerous to sit in with someone than just being able to stay outside? I wonder how much sense sensitizing still has here. Explain that it is better to go home alone a little later than huddle in together. Why can’t the terraces open? That way there is control over how many people are together in a certain place. That is even clearer than just hanging around in a group, and it is also better for the economy.

3. There is also a lot of misunderstanding for the sale of alcohol. How useful is the ‘alcohol clock’ at 8 pm? Some people stock up for eight hours, other night shops just secretly sell it on. There is a group of young people who indicate that they now drink just more than if they were allowed to go to a café. For many it is the only entertainment that can still be done. Most are tired of walking.

4. A phenomenon related to this, but less visible or controllable, is that some dealers in Antwerp indicate that they sell more cocaine during the lockdown. These may be exceptional and anecdotal cases, but it can never be the intention of these measures to encourage drug use. Although experimenting can also be tempting, especially in times when there are far fewer opportunities for relaxation.

5. Our mental health is greatly affected, both by the measures and the lack of a plausible explanation for their imposition. Why cannot this be met? So many people would benefit from a good psychologist or therapy, but this is not affordable for many, especially now. The waiting lists are getting longer and longer. We are increasingly getting the impression that mental health is not as true as physical health. But can you separate the two and say what is most important in someone’s life?

Conclusion

Many people understand that measures are needed, but the fact that many are relinquishing the role has a lot to do with misunderstanding. For many, it feels as if scientists and politicians are making rules that mainly affect ordinary people. Therefore keep the policy logical, human and realistic. Sometimes I think: even a short but complete lockdown with maximum control would have been more manageable than the chaos of the past weeks.

Leni Beckers (39) lives with her 16-year-old son in the center of Antwerp. She works in a board game cafe, which has been transformed into a board game shop by Corona. She studies social work at the university of applied sciences.

More and more people no longer adhere to the measures. Sometimes I wonder if our governments realize why. Put crudely: do they still have enough feeling with the man in the street? And after a full year of corona, I ask myself those questions more than ever. I myself am in my late thirties, and in daily life I come into contact with many people: this involves a wide range of ages, living conditions, professions and passions. In other words, many opinions and many points of view on the measures. I would like to share some of these experiences with you, but most people understand that measures must be taken to stop the spread of the virus. More self: they want to stick to this, but logic has been lost recently. Shopping is allowed, albeit with restrictions. But 4,000 people are still allowed to walk on the Meir, people are allowed to come together on the markets, and on the tram you can sit together with 50 people. But if I want to play a board game at home with four steady friends, I risk a fine of 1,000 euros. In all these public places, the distance of 1.5 m should be respected, in practice this is not always the case. The same applies to ‘separate shopping’: people arrive with two or more and enter separately. They each take a basket and then continue together. Queuing at the till? It looks like an amusement park. At the start of the lockdown, shopkeepers sometimes made a comment themselves. Those days are long gone. Enforcement is lacking. 2. In addition, there is the curfew, the added value of which is not understood by many people. I almost feel like a criminal because I want to eat together with steady friends or watch a movie. If we were offered a clear, logical explanation for such a measure, it would help a lot to understand it. Especially now that it is getting warmer, and we hear all the time that it is safer to meet outside. The current regulation forces people in from 23h50, as it were. The result: no one can go home earlier, so there is no other option than to stay in together at least until 5 in the morning. Isn’t it much more dangerous to sit in with someone than just being able to stay outside? I wonder how much sense sensitizing still has here. Explain that it is better to go home alone a little later than huddle in together. Why can’t the terraces open? That way there is control over how many people are together in a certain place. That is even more convenient than just hanging around in a group, and it is also better for the economy. There is also a lot of misunderstanding for the sale of alcohol. How useful is the ‘alcohol clock’ at 8 pm? Some people stock up for eight hours, other night shops just secretly sell it on. There is a group of young people who indicate that they now drink just more than if they were allowed to go to a café. For many it is the only entertainment that can still be done. Most are tired of walking. 4. A phenomenon related to this, but less visible or controllable, is that some dealers in Antwerp indicate that they sell more cocaine during the lockdown. These may be exceptional and anecdotal cases, but it can never be the intention of these measures to encourage drug use. Although experimentation can also be tempting, especially in times when there are far fewer possibilities for relaxation. Our mental health is greatly affected, both by the measures and the lack of a plausible explanation for their imposition. Why cannot this be met? So many people would benefit from a good psychologist or therapy, but this is not affordable for many, especially now. The waiting lists are getting longer and longer. We are increasingly getting the impression that mental health is not as true as physical health. But can you separate the two and say what is most important in someone’s life? Conclusion Many people understand that action is needed, but the fact that many are relinquishing the role has a lot to do with misunderstanding. For many, it feels as if scientists and politicians are making rules that mainly affect ordinary people. Therefore keep the policy logical, human and realistic. Sometimes I think: even a short but complete lockdown with maximum control would have been more manageable than the chaos of the past weeks. Leni Beckers (39) lives with her 16-year-old son in the center of Antwerp. She works in a board game cafe, which has been transformed into a board game shop by Corona. She studies social work at the university of applied sciences.

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