De Jonge sees very little room for relaxation | NOW

Outgoing health minister Hugo de Jonge sees very little room to ease the current lockdown, he said on Monday after consulting with Security Council mayors.

“If you are just being honest about the epidemiological picture, then there is simply very little room to take a step,” the minister said. A third wave is coming, “and that means you have to be very careful with the first steps you can take.”

The cabinet will announce at a press conference on Tuesday through De Jonge and outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte what relaxations will be made. In fact, De Jonge does not want to talk about relaxation either: according to him, there are “very few reasons” for that.

However, De Jonge and Rutte are expected to offer perspectives if the number of infections drops. “How are we going to continue if infections go down again at some point?” Is how Rutte described the exit plan on Friday.

Earlier, it was announced that Cabinet was considering ending the curfew. Other stores could also be opened soon so that orders can be collected.

Security Council wants clarity on curfews

The security regions still have questions about this, said Hubert Bruls, mayor of Nijmegen and president of the Security Council. “In terms of feasibility, this rule will give a lot of uncertainty. When it is confused, it is very difficult to verify.”

Regarding the curfew, Bruls also pleads for clarity. If the cabinet doesn’t renew it, it shouldn’t come back this spring, he says. “You cannot say: we will think about it for a moment and maybe again in three weeks, it would cause so much uproar, so many reactions, it is not wise.”

Outgoing Minister Arie Slob (Education) announced on Sunday that primary schools and nurseries could reopen next week.