The majority of MPs in the House of Representatives are arguing for masks to become a requirement throughout the Netherlands. They believe the new measures announced on Monday evening were simply not enough for the current severity of the COVID-19 crisis.
In the past week, the Netherland’s infections jumped again and the death toll tripled. The new coronavirus measures announced on Monday advised masks to be worn in public indoor spaces, but only in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven. MPs believe this is not enough, and that a duty needs to be established in all Dutch regions.
Advice or duty
Cabinet is debating whether to make mouth masks a public duty or an urgent advise. The majority of MPs are convinced this should be a duty in all shops, grocery stores and catering services. VVD party leader Klaas Dijkhoff said he is tired of waiting for the advice to come, and that clear national guidelines on masks need to be put in place, reports RTL Nieuws.
Chaos in cabinet
PVV leader Wilder has called the cabinet’s management of the coronavirus measures complete chaos. Lodewijk Asscher of the PvdA thinks the current measures are a “dangerous gamble” and suspects stronger measures will come too late. He stressed that cabinet cannot just relax for the next three weeks now that new measures are in place. Indeed, there are many fears that cabinet is lagging behind the crisis.
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Make masks mandatory Nation wide.