The number of Covid patients in hospitals is about four times higher than last July. Yet there is no panicky atmosphere in The Hague around the corona virus. Minister Ernst Kuipers (Zorg, D66) said on Friday after the last Council of Ministers that he will go on holiday “with peace of mind”. According to him, the situation in the hospitals is “manageable” with about a thousand corona patients. In the coming weeks, the minister will receive the latest corona figures daily at his holiday address and a weekly explanation from the RIVM. If necessary, Kuipers will provide behavioral advice to the population this summer or order a new round of vaccinations.
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Has the coronavirus become a different virus or does Kuipers no longer see it as a major problem? There is certainly something to be said for the first. Since Omikron and new sub-variants are dominant, most infected people become less ill.
But, critics say, it is also up to Ernst Kuipers himself. Minister Ernst Kuipers, who was critical of government policy in talk programs during the corona crisis, emphasizes above all that society itself bears responsibility.
Shortly after taking office, six months ago, Kuipers announced a series of relaxations and presented a new approach: it was not just about relieving the burden on care, but also keeping society vital and open became an explicit goal. Kuipers wants to prevent government intervention in the new, less disruptive phase of the pandemic as much as possible. Many infections are no longer always a problem, and Kuipers believes that society now has more responsibility. Not only the government, but also companies and citizens must help control the virus.
These principles are welcomed, but also sharply criticized. A group of experts and concerned citizens Kuipers wrote a burning letter at the beginning of this month in which they state that he does not sufficiently take his responsibility as a minister. “The policy you have followed means that the coronavirus can circulate almost unhindered,” the letter reads. “Many citizens don’t want to get infected, but your policy leaves them with no choice.”
Citizens don’t take it seriously anymore, that comes from somewhere
Ginny Mooy Former member Red Team
Field epidemiologist Arnold Bosman, one of the signatories, believes that Kuipers does not pay attention to the consequences of high numbers of infections. “About vulnerable people, who are still at high risk from Covid, he says like a true clinician: I cannot restore their vulnerability. That sounds like: if you’re vulnerable, you’re out of luck.” Bosman expects the minister to have a broader perspective on prevention, also when it comes to long covid. “I never hear from him about that, while we are talking about hundreds of thousands of people a year who can have health problems.”
Virologist Louis Kroes (Leiden University) acknowledges that people are still getting Covid-19, but he says the current situation is incomparable with previous waves. Kroes therefore applauds Kuipers’ ‘down-to-earth’ approach. “His policy is less directive and authoritarian, which is only appropriate in emergency situations. Eliminating infections is unfortunately impossible, so vulnerability or long covid will have to be solved individually. You can’t just limit or close things again for that.”
simple answers
Anthropologist Ginny Mooy, former member of the Red Team that critically followed corona policy, lacks leadership from Kuipers. In the communication about how citizens can prevent them from getting sick and infecting others, Mooy finds the minister ‘invisible’. According to Mooy, only one message from Kuipers has really reached citizens, namely that the corona crisis is over. “Citizens no longer take it seriously, that comes from somewhere.”
Proponents and opponents of Kuipers’ policy can see that as a physician, he speaks with authority about the virus. “He can give simple answers to difficult questions in parliamentary debates, often speaks by heart,” says GroenLinks MP Lisa Westerveld. “It is a missed opportunity that he no longer uses his knowledge towards citizens.” VVD MP Judith Tielen agrees with Westerveld. “People want an explanation from the minister. When there are reports of a new summer wave, you want to hear: is that bad, and what should I do? There are now hospitals that ask to wear a face mask again, other hospitals do not. That’s confusing.”
Very slight restrictions
Kuipers hopes to prevent new mandatory corona measures in the autumn and is working on sector plans with the help of other ministries, in which entrepreneurs such as hairdressers and shopkeepers can think along with the government about measures. Talks about this have been going on for months. The idea is to prevent the need for further lockdowns or other severe restrictions with preventive measures per sector. The provisional sector plans have now been completed, employers’ organization VNO-NCW reported on Monday. It is striking in the inventory that in many sectors there is only support for very minor restrictions. Entrepreneurs do not want to see many measures again. In September, Kuipers wants to clarify what the measures will be for the various sectors in the event of a new upswing.
Chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem of the Dutch Safety Board finds Kuipers’ sector plans far too non-committal, he wrote in an interim evaluation of the corona policy last month. “With the experience of waves of contamination that can quickly present themselves, it is important that citizens and sectors know in good time what they can, may and must do in the next revival; and what the government expects of them.”
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Ginny Mooy says that Kuipers must ensure coherence between policy in different sectors. “You can say in your sector: people should wear a mouth cap, but if it is not necessary anywhere else, you will get into a fight about it. ”
SGP MP Chris Stoffer is happy that Kuipers no longer wants to impose a government approach. “The business community has already shown earlier in the crisis that it can take good precautions, take advantage of that.” Stoffer just doesn’t understand why the adoption of the sector plans has to take so long. “I’ve always been taught that you have to finish your homework on time. Now Kuipers is letting it arrive on September. I think that’s lax.”
booster shot
While Kuipers always emphasizes that he no longer feels solely responsible for the fight against corona, this applies to two other things: vaccination and care capacity. When it comes to pricking, Kuipers tries to radiate decisiveness. He has already instructed the GGDs to recruit staff again this summer if a new vaccination campaign is needed at the end of summer or early autumn. Motivating the population remains a problem: less than half of all people over 60 have received their second booster shot. The Ministry of Health says additional campaigns will be launched this summer to increase turnout.
A child of concern is the care itself. After two and a half years of the corona crisis, the sector is in a much worse position, partly due to a lack of personnel, according to intensivist Girbes. “I fear that a strong Covid wave this autumn could completely disrupt things.” Girbes sees no urgency, for example in the flexible deployment and retraining of the scarce staff. “We wave goodbye to people who are retiring who are not asked to jump in when the need is high. There is no good system developed for that.”
To avoid potential problems in the fall, Girbes proposes that Covid care be concentrated in certain hospitals. “This way you can work more efficiently and lend each other staff. This requires mutual agreements and national coordination, which is currently lacking. I’m afraid we’ll just let it all happen again.”
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of 20 July 2022
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