The cabinet plans to partially cancel the mask obligation from June 26 and to partially withdraw the advice to work from home. This is reported by sources in The Hague. In places where people can keep enough distance, the rules are likely to be relaxed even further than previously announced.
The cabinet previously decided to bring forward the relaxation planned for June 30. A decision will be made on Friday and there will also be a press conference. This includes broadening the rules for the catering industry and home visits, and allowing events again. But the mouth cap obligation and working from home are also on the table. The precise changes will be taken on Friday after a new OMT advice and announced in the press conference.
In principle, the cabinet wants to get rid of the mask obligation in places where one and a half meters can be kept. However, the policy must remain “unambiguous”. The question is in which places the masks will remain mandatory. The urgent advice to work from home is also being partially relaxed, sources reported after a meeting of the ministers involved.
vaccinated
The government has always said that the relaxation of the measures depends on a number of factors. It is no longer just about the crowds in the hospitals, but also about the number of people vaccinated, whether there are areas or groups where too few people are vaccinated and about new virus variants.
One of those variants of the coronavirus that are becoming more and more concerned is the so-called Delta variant, which was previously called the Indian variant. This variant appears to be more contagious than the common coronavirus. Moreover, the vaccinations only really work against it when people are fully vaccinated. It is now the most common variant in the United Kingdom, the figures there show.
puncture strategy
“We have a different injection strategy than the UK. The UK has gambled completely on AstraZeneca and gambled all on the first jab," said caretaker minister Hugo de Jonge after the consultation with his colleagues. “I think we did it more wisely.” He refers to the fact that the maximum effort has not been made here on administering the first injection, but has also continued to administer the second vaccination in older and more vulnerable groups. Only when a large group of people has been vaccinated, we are "done", according to the minister.
“We are weighing all measures again. Which measures are still necessary, which can be removed?” said De Jonge. “We are vaccinating very quickly, and then you weigh, what more measures are needed? I think we can say goodbye to quite a few measures, but some will still be needed.”
"We'll look at everything on Friday, then we'll tell you about it."
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