Thirty mayors call on cabinet to fundamentally review corona policy
Mayors of thirty municipalities, including those of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, called on the cabinet on Thursday to “fundamentally review” the corona policy. They did that in an opinion piece in de Volkskrant. The mayors call the current situation “unsustainable” after two years of fighting the crisis and want the cabinet to provide perspective for the long term.
According to the mayors, the rapidly changing, “ad hoc measures” ensure that in a new revival of the corona virus, too much is demanded of the stamina of municipalities and “trust in the administration”. As an example of such a measure, they cite the varying rules and advice about the use of mouth caps. According to them, the ever-changing measures also cause society to look for “the loopholes in the law” out of dissatisfaction and ‘despair about the hopeless position’.
The mayors want the cabinet to come up with a long-term plan. In concrete terms, they say that the Netherlands is an ‘open society’, in which education must always be accessible to everyone and, among other things, culture and catering must remain open. Healthcare must also be classified in such a way that ‘free living together is not hindered by it or as little as possible’. The mayors understand that additional rules are sometimes necessary, but they must be “predictable, logical and reasonable”. They state that the measures in neighboring countries are being taken less far-reaching, ‘without very major accidents’.
Number of unemployed increased slightly in December
In December, the number of unemployed rose slightly compared to November: about ten thousand more people were looking for work than a month earlier. The increase is partly due to the tightening of the corona measures from mid-November. This is apparent from figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) on Thursday has published.
The number of unemployed rose to 3.8 percent of the labor force, from 3.7 percent in November. Part of the increase is due to the suspension of seasonal work in, for example, construction and agriculture, but people also lost their jobs in the hospitality sector. From November 12, restaurants and cafes had to close their doors at 8 p.m. After December 19, they had to close completely.
The number of unemployment benefits issued by the UWV benefits agency also increased in December in the catering industry, a sector in which young people relatively often work under temporary contracts. A quarter more young people up to the age of 25 received benefits in December, compared to November. Unemployment benefits were issued to approximately 200,000 people in December. The number of benefits and the number of unemployed do not match, because not every unemployed person uses benefits.
Welcome to this blog
In this blog, the editors of NRC on Thursday 20 January report on the most important developments in the corona crisis. Today, the new Minister of Health Ernst Kuipers (D66) will debate the developments surrounding the corona virus with the House of Representatives for the first time. Topics of discussion include the relaxation of the corona measures announced last Friday and the call for more perspective from the cultural sector, among others.
On Wednesday, theaters across the country opened their doors in protest against being forced to close at the back of relaxation. The cultural institutions allowed hairdressers, who are allowed to open after the latest relaxation, to share the stage with comedians or an orchestra. On the other side of the Channel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the mask requirement and corona pass will be abolished from next week.
Read here the blog of wednesday 19 january back
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