VWS officials will no longer interfere with OMT advice, says Kuipers

Advice from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) no longer goes to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport before they are made public. Minister Kuipers promised this in a debate about reports that ministry officials would have changed or influenced the advice during the corona pandemic.

Kuipers maintains that officials have only made clarifying questions and text suggestions to the experts of the OMT, but he acknowledged that “there may have been “the appearance that there has been some guidance”.

That is why he wants the OMT recommendations to stop going to the ministry at all before they are published. “The OMT deals with its own texts,” said the minister.

Mouth caps in long-term care

The debate was requested by opposition parties, who are convinced that VWS employees interfered with the advice, for example about the use of face masks in long-term care. The OMT wanted these face masks to be worn in nursing homes, but VWS wanted it to be added that it was an advice. That actually happened, according to documents requested by news hour.

Kuipers emphasized in the debate that the OMT is independent, but the government parties were also critical. MP Tielen of the VVD: “I find it difficult to conclude that it is unwanted influence, but I do say: it does not look nice.”

High pressure

Minister Kuipers pointed out that the start of the corona pandemic was “very hectic”. “We acted under high pressure. To conclude that something went wrong, we really need more information and a good evaluation.”

At a later stage, the House of Representatives wants to hold a parliamentary inquiry about how to tackle the corona pandemic.

A majority of the House wants a counterpart to the OMT to be set up in the short term, with a group of experts that mainly looks at the social impact of corona measures.

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