They have only just come into effect, the new corona measures, but the question is already arising whether it is enough. On Sunday, outgoing minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Health, CDA) said that he is “worried” about the new Omikron variant of the corona virus that is now also found in Europe. It is “indeed it cannot be ruled out” that more measures will have to be taken in December than foreseen, De Jonge said during an inserted press moment in Rotterdam.
De Jonge did not want to prejudge the type of measures. He will, however, have consultations with RIVM and fellow European ministers in the coming days, because “if it turns out that travel poses an important risk”, then travel restrictions within Europe are obvious. In Rotterdam, De Jonge announced that thirteen people were carrying this new variant among a group of air passengers from South Africa. He called it “certainly not inconceivable” that this is the tip of the iceberg.
Also read: No one seemed to know what to do with the passengers from South Africa
Evening Lockdown
Because the current variant in circulation is difficult to tame, the cabinet announced additional measures on Friday, until at least 19 December. This includes an “evening lockdown” from 5 pm to 5 am for “non-essential shops”. People are also being asked to work from home and not visit others more than once a week. Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) also offered “apologies” for the lack of communication on Friday.
Criticism of the government is increasing, partly due to the slow start of the campaign to use ‘booster shots’ compared to other EU countries. In the meantime, the pressure on ICU departments and nurses is increasing. The new Omikron variant can further undermine the policy. Minister De Jonge emphasized on Friday that much is not yet known about the harmfulness of this. The variant is more contagious than the Delta variant. “What we don’t know enough is whether he would be more sick and whether he would be resistant to the vaccines. That will become apparent in the coming weeks.”
New corona variant has extremely many mutations
Quarantine obligation
The cabinet calls on everyone who has been “in the past week in southern Africa” to report to the GGD and be tested. All countries in that region are also on the list of “very high-risk” countries – meaning a quarantine obligation. De Jonge said that “100 percent of the people who return will be called” and asks municipalities “to visit 100 percent of these people at home” to check they are actually in quarantine. Anyone who breaks the rules risks a fine of 337 euros, he said.
South Africa is now banned from flying, but that does not mean that there are no flights at all. According to De Jonge, it is inevitable that ‘repatriation flights’ for people living in the Netherlands or another EU country must ‘continue’. “The Dutch simply have the right to return to their own country.” Since Friday afternoon, they have been subject to a ‘double test obligation’: they must undergo a PCR test and a (faster) antigen test before flying, have another test done on arrival at Schiphol and then also be quarantined. De Jonge did temper expectations: “It is actually inconceivable that you could actually stop this virus at the border. You can slow it down.”
#Omikron #variant #undermine #policy