CORONADE BATThe cabinet cannot yet rely on a political majority for far-reaching corona restrictions, such as banning unvaccinated people from the catering industry (the 2G policy). There was widespread opposition in the House of Representatives.
Rarely before during the corona pandemic has the cabinet faced so much uncertainty about parliamentary support for corona measures. According to Prime Minister Rutte and Minister De Jonge, 2G policy is needed to get through this winter without hard lockdown rules. But a majority of the House is leaning towards a ‘njet’ against the plan to only allow vaccinated and cured people in cafes and at festivals, it turned out on Tuesday during the corona debate.
In addition to many opposition parties, the coalition factions of ChristenUnie and CDA are also opposing that protocol for the time being, although they do not definitively reject it. “The CDA is still struggling with this,” said MP Joba van den Berg. “2G is radical. We need scenarios and alternatives from the minister that we can weigh up.” Now only VVD and D66 (together 58 of the 150 seats) are in favour, but the House of Representatives will only vote on this next week after a new OMT deliberation on Friday.
Many other groups denounce De Jonge’s suggestion that there are no alternatives to excluding unvaccinated people.
1G: testing everyone
De Jonge is conducting research into proposals from GroenLinks and the ChristenUnie to always ask everyone, vaccinated or not, to be tested before entering a festival or party cafe, for example. He wonders whether it is effective, feasible and proportional, but does ask the OMT to include this 1G variant in the evaluation of other options (2G and 3G).
It is estimated that it costs tens of millions of euros per week to test so massively. He also wonders whether it is justifiable to ask people who are already protected against the virus to be tested every time they want to go out.
‘Number of contact moments must be reduced’
Various political groups question the need for specific interventions, such as keeping the public out of the way in amateur sports. But according to Rutte, it is necessary that the virus is dealt ‘a major blow’. ,,The number of contact moments in amateur sport is very large. Sport is crucial, it will continue, that’s why we made the choice to impose a restriction on the public.” He finds the exclusion of cultural institutions justifiable, because that sector has already been hit very hard.
Last Friday, the cabinet announced new restrictions, with limited opening hours for catering and shops and an urgent advice not to receive more than four guests at home. After dealing that ‘hard blow’ to tame the new virus wave, a series of other measures will follow.
Few parties have any doubts about the need for action, with reports of record numbers of infections, the GGD reaching maximum testing capacity and cries for help from hospitals that are almost succumbing to the corona pressure.
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But opinions differ about the optimal approach. Expanding the corona pass to the workplace and banning unvaccinated people from catering and festivals (2G) are extremely sensitive. The parties speak of ‘vaccination urges’ and fear a split.
Opposition party PvdA calls the cabinet approach ‘stick and wet’ and sees more benefit in a ‘decisive short lockdown’, which means: temporarily closed non-essential shops and catering. PvdA MP Attje Kuiken does not say no to 2G in advance: ,,We have to keep our society a bit pleasant and liveable for the long term. Then I keep an eye out for entrepreneurs who say: give us 2G, then we can still earn our living. But I also hear the arguments about exclusion. So we look with an open mind.”
‘Discrimination’
VVD MP Aukje de Vries believes that a 2G protocol and an extensive corona pass are acceptable. ,,I was also happy with testing as an alternative. But due to the situation, we are forced to go for this, as an alternative to closure. We don’t do that lightly. But excluding the unvaccinated is not discrimination. They are more contagious, more comprehensible and more often put pressure on care. That is why this is a passable road.”
As far as De Vries is concerned, 2G for the catering industry is possible, but not at work and at school, says the MP, who also wants to know whether there are plans to vaccinate children under the age of twelve: i want to know. Primary schools contain quite a few sources of infection.”
De Jonge does not want to anticipate this, the Health Council will first come up with vaccination advice for children aged 5 to 12 with medical problems. They may be eligible for a vaccination, provided the EMA approves the vaccine.
Among others, PVV’er Fleur Agema, Wybren van Haga, Eva van Esch (Party for the Animals) lash out at 2G advocates VVD and D66: “You want to give unvaccinated fewer rights,” said Agema. “That’s quite a bit. for a liberal.” Agema spoke of ‘failing policy’: “Ten million booster shots have already been taken in the United Kingdom! Why is it possible there and not here?” Van Haga accuses the 2G supporters of ‘discrimination’, according to Think MP Tunahan Kuzu, this plan ‘promotes the dichotomy’.
D66 MP Jan Paternotte denies that: “The idea now is that it only applies to catering and events, entrepreneurs can choose between 2G and 3G. That is really different from shutting off a large part of society.”
Support for 2G
Slightly more than half (55 percent) of the Dutch say they support the principle of the 2G system, according to research by I&O Research commissioned by the NOS. Twelve percent are neutral, 31 percent are against. Resistance is particularly strong among voters of SGP, FVD and ChristenUnie. The support among the PVV supporters is also striking: more than 60 percent is in favor, while the opposition party in the House is a staunch opponent.
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Paternotte points out that the basic measures must also be better observed: “And should we not boost faster, maintain better, ensure a higher vaccination coverage, test more and focus on medication? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes (…) We don’t want another winter in lockdown. I would rather not have any corona measures at all. If you have to, then with a corona pass. If there is no other option, then with 2G. But not everything is closed.”
OMT sees alternatives
The OMT will discuss the effectiveness of the 2G protocol on Friday. Striking: the advisers of the OMT did not mention 2G as the only alternative to generic lockdown rules. In the latest advice, the experts write that keeping a corona pass plus one and a half meters away or ‘testing everyone for access’ are also options. The latter route is also preferred by the ChristenUnie and GroenLinks.
Coalition party CU prefers to opt for 1G (you only get access after a negative test), so that others are not excluded, and so that you know with more certainty that everyone at a party or in the restaurant does not carry the corona virus, MP Mirjam Bikker explained. : ,,2G will result in fewer hospital admissions in the short term, but with tests you can see where the infections are rising much sooner.”
GroenLinks also prefers to use 1G, says Member of Parliament Lisa Westerveld: “Introducing 2G is a very far-reaching measure that has a great impact on society, but the effectiveness of which is not clear. Other options that have proven to be effective are not even on the table, such as access testing.”
Rutte: access tests now not an option
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during the press conference on Friday to questions from this news site that mass testing is not an option now: “Not for the short term. Now we have to take these measures very quickly, we have to limit contacts. And people would also go to the access test location, then there is also a risk that they infect each other.”
Those involved also acknowledge that the capacity – a maximum of 400,000 tests per day – is not equipped for frequent access testing of millions of Dutch people.
The government does, however, promise to include the 1G option in the request to the OMT to examine the effectiveness of the 2G and 3G model. That happens on Friday.
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