A group of scientists who provide solicited and unsolicited advice to the government is pushing for a short but firm lockdown of four weeks. The pressure on the cabinet to move from partial to full lockdown is increasing. Although Rutte does not want to anticipate matters, he says he will keep all options open. Also that of a complete lockdown, especially now that the RIVM reported 10.007 new positive test results on Friday.

big hammer

The cabinet first wants to wait for the effect of the big hammer. The prime minister does not want to speculate about which scenarios will be used, such as the closing of schools or the introduction of a curfew. From society meanwhile sounds to intervene more strictly. The Nijmegen mayor Bruls, who was also present at the cabinet meeting as chairman of the Security Council, wondered in the AD whether the cabinet wants to keep strict corona measures throughout the winter or opts for a hard lockdown of several weeks. 

Internal sources on the Brabant ICs indicate that the maximum capacity has been reached and that choices are already being made with regard to care provision. Ernst Kuipers, chairman of the National Acute Care Network, said Thursday afternoon that once the number of corona infections stops rising, it is expected to take three weeks before the peak in admissions is reached. On Friday, more than two thousand corona patients were in the hospitals, almost a quarter of which were in the ICU.

In any case, we see that the figures show that the first package of measures of 28 September did not work and again presents the cabinet with the dilemma. More clarity will be provided in the first half of next week. According to Rutte, it can still go in any direction.

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