As the Netherlands eagerly awaits tonight’s 7 PM press conference addressing new coronavirus measures, the Outbreak Management Team’s (OMT) recommendations and the government’s pre-conference tension offers a glimpse of what’s coming.
While the Dutch OMT are against closing the education sector, they seem to have other thoughts about restaurants, cafes, theatres, hairdressers, zoos, and cinemas, among others, according to the NOS.
We can’t help but wonder if it’s time to get a pre-lockdown haircut as these non-essential businesses may become deemed ‘transfer locations’ ā which should close at 5 PM according to the OMT. š
On the other hand, RTL Nieuws reports some panic in the Dutch government as the coronavirus numbers continue to rise after the last round of lite lockdown measures in the Netherlands. The government seems to want to avoid releasing half-baked plans at this point and being accused of doing too little (once again).
Option 1: Shut it all down
Yes, including schools. While this plan would align more with the stricter vision of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge, the education ministers are strongly against closing the schools ā especially seeing as it goes against the OMT’s advice.
A complete lockdown would also affect shops and businesses in addition to schools. We’re talking about the beginning of coronavirus days, the pre-vaccine era ā or, in other words, this time last year.
Option 2: Evening lockdown
With this possibility, schools would remain open as the OMT recommends, however, non-essential shops, restaurants, and gyms would close at 5 PM, while supermarkets will probably continue to close at 8 PM.
Additionally, a group gatherings risk having their numbers further reduced.
Naturally, behind closed doors, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs is fighting a battle to keep the shops and the catering industry open for as long as possible.
Curious about this evening’s measures? We’ll be covering all of the latest measures in English in an article directly after the press conference.
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Feature Image: prostooleh/Depositphotos
Iām not a fan of Mark Rutte by any means but shutting down schools is a excellent proposal. If nothing else think of how much money will be saved not heating those buildings. Closing schools will certainly not impact the majority of students; The primary concern of most students is having their cell phones so they can be on social media 24/7.