Are you ready? We are ready.
The government is leaking like a sieve the last few days. Read our story about the rumors. dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/a…
Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge are in the house. And our personal hero, Irma.
Her suit is a lovely shade of blue.
Rutte begins: It feels like much longer [a goddamn eternity] but it was only two months ago that I had the first corona press conference.
The goals then were to take care of the vulnerable and ensure the hospitals weren't overburdened.
The numbers have gone in the right direction for a few weeks, he says.
Rutte has clearly not had a hair cut. Someone is listening to the rules!
This is the beginning of a new phase, he says. The start of [everyone's favorite new word] anderhalvemetersamenleving, the 1.5 meter society.
He says that he will talk more about the roadmap till September but first we go to De Jonge. [Sigh, get to the good part. When can we have a haircut?]
De Jonge: "What is our goal? When we will know this is over?"
This is only the case, he says, when we have a vaccine. It might be months, or it might be years. No one knows for sure.
For a longer time, we will have to live with the virus. He calls this is a "controlling" phase.
"We will live our lives as normally as possible. We will work towards this step by step."
"We have to keep to our main points: protect the vulnerable, make sure the health care can handle it and keep the virus in check."
He says that to keep the virus under control, we have to continue with the agreements.
Stay home, especially if you're sick. Work from home if possible. Avoid crowds. Be extra careful if you are elderly or vulnerable. Sneeze into your elbow. Wash your hands.
As of today, he says, they are also testing teachers and health care workers. From May 18 that will also be possible for home health care workers, people who work in public transport and for the police.
From June first it will be possible, he says, for everyone to be tested.
Positive tests will then involve intensive contact tracing. People who test positive will have to be quarantined with their entire households. He says that more people will be needed to do tracing and testing.
The virus isn't gone, he says. He also wants to make sure that IC beds can be scaled up to 1,700 places easily.
We have to take care of doctors and healthcare workers.
The protection of vulnerable people is important. But people want to live their lives. So we need to do this carefully.
Ok here we go!
Rutte says everything is under the condition that the numbers continue to look good.
First, we're gone talk about masks. He says that the Outbreak Management Team recommends wearing them, though the evidence is thin.
The masks are for the protection of others, he says, not for yourself. And medical masks need to be saved for healthcare workers.
Detour to school plans. [Rutte really doesn't want to talk about masks...]
Primary schools go back on Monday (this was discussed at the last press conference, there are lots of rules about it.)
People in contract professions can go back!
This includes massage therapists, nail technicians, etc. They must stay 1.5 meters apart as much as possible. Reservations must be made. No masks will be required.
As of Monday (May 11), the libraries can reopen if they keep to the 1.5 meter rules.
As of June 1, terraces can reopen if they keep the tables at 1.5 meters distance.
Also on June 1, a lot of other things can open: restaurants, bars, movie theaters and museums. But there are a long list of qualifications: only with reservations, must keep to 1.5 meters, there will be checks.
Rutte says that they are working on the rules for MBO classes, etc.
The rules for bars, etc will be for 30 people. That can increase to 100 people as of July 1 if all goes well.
Also as of July 1, churches, camping toilet facilities can reopen.
Now for September 1 [someone who is not me will write up a full list for a website thank god] saunas, coffeeshop, sport schools and of course sex clubs can reopen.
Public transport is very important. Rutte says that the idea is not that everyone goes to the beach by tram on a nice day. Dat is niet de bedoeling!
He says OV will come back into a regular schedule as of June 1. There will be reduced capacity, 40%. Everyone will need to wear a mask. That is because it is not possible to keep to 1.5 meters.
He says that you should not use medical masks, those are for health care workers.
Today, he says, we don't only make people happy. There are people who are disappointed. Some people will still have to wait and that is difficult. That is hard, he says.
The government will look at those sectors to see what can be done.
He also says that there will be many questions. They will try to answer those on the government website.
We have shown that we are with each other. We have to keep doing this together. This phrase requires more responsibility and working together.
The situation in the parks and recreational areas needs to be kept under control. We have to keep 1.5 meters apart.
And now the questions. First up, NOS: Why are we looking ahead? [Be a boring press conference to just recap what we've already talked about...]
Rutte says that people think it is important. [Seems the government got some flack for not being positive enough: dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/c…]
Rutte says there is now some space for this.
Follow up: can we leave the "intelligent lockdown?" Rutte says not really, no. Events will not be allowed, that's just not possible.
Next about masks: Why was the advice no masks?
Rutte says that the evidence is thin, but there is some evidence for when people are close together, that they can be beneficial. If there's no 1.5 meters, then they are needed.
Next question from RTL is to De Jonge. Do we have enough insight into the spread of the virus for June 1?
[Has Hugo's hair gotten taller? We think it has.]
We are testing more and more, he says. We are testing as much as possible. The goal for testing for everyone is June 1.
RTL follows up by asking about the testing numbers decreasing. De Jonge says this is because there are fewer people with complaints, so there are fewer tests to do.
Is the spread below 1? [Meaning one person gives it to less than one person. Ya know, half a person to something.] "We are careful," he says.
He says that this has to go step by step.
Next from De Telegraph: They want to know about travel? Rutte says no. [Stay home with your peanut butter and potatoes, Dutch people.]
Travel is only for necessary travel and that remains. But in the Netherlands, you can go on holiday. [Poor Drenthe]
When can the schools open entirely? Rutte says they are monitoring that and looking into it.
Next up, Hart van Nederland: Masks in the OV. Rutte says that from June 1 [Not 1 Juno] but not before.
HvN also asks about in the supermarket. "It is difficult there too to stay 1.5 meters apart?"
Rutte says you can poop for ten years, it's fine. Ok kidding, he says that it works well in the supermarket.
And a question about visitors: [When can the circle parties resume] The advice remains three people, staying 1.5 meters apart.
Why not more people? Because that's the advice, Rutte says [Who can fit more than 3 people in their house at 1.5 meters apart anyway?]
And over sports clubs: Rutte says this is really complicated. He says more research is needed for this, because of the spread via sweat and in the showers.
What about places without terraces? Rutte says that this is for the local governments to decide. Also the more people out the more crowded the streets and that's a problem.
A question to De Jonge: There is more IC capacity than 1700 now. Are we decreasing? De Jonge says they expect that the IC will do less, but they want to make sure that capacity is available. They need to be able to scale up.
Next question, apps? [Did you think we were getting out of this without talking about apps?] He says that with an app they can do better and faster contract tracing. But that it is being worked on.
Another question to De Jonge: More people for contact tracing? Yes, and they are scaling it up.
And another question about masks. How do I know if I have a safe mask? Rutte says there will be guidelines on the website and there will be guidelines as to how to make one.
He says that medical masks, though, need to be saved for medical personnel.
Rutte goes on to say that if people are staying 1.5 meters apart, masks aren't needed.
Another question to De Jonge about whether or not the app will be ready be June 1? And also what happens if more people need to be tested on June 1?
Honestly, De Jonge is just saying a lot of words about testing that are sorted related to each other but are sorta not. The TL;DR (or TL;DL in this case) is that they are trying real hard to make it possible for everyone who has complaints to get tested as of June 1.
De Jonge takes a big drink of water [gin??!] after his soliloquy.
Now the NRC asks Rutte: You keep stressing that if it's possible, what if it's not possible? Rutte says that they will keep looking at three requirements, the numbers and the spread to see if things go right.
Another question from the NRC about whether or not the OMT the new measures. Rutte says that the OMT thinks the loosening of the restrictions will have a minimal effect.
Follow up questions: Do the experts think the decisions are more politics now? Rutte says no. But they don't know everything and there are big political and economics decisions to be made as well.
Rutte is reiterating his three scenario options: let everyone be free and let the virus spread, which is bad. Lock everyone up, also bad, so the NL has opted for middle ground, like many countries in Europe.
How long will people have to work from home? Rutte says for the upcoming months. It's possible longer, if the vaccine takes longer. Rutte says that OV will ramp up to it's old capacity but for now it's at 40%.
Rutte says that a discussion will be had about how work will work when it goes back. Maybe students travel outside of rush hour. Kids might have to cycle longer to school. This is a public discussion and goes beyond the Outbreak Management Team.
Another question about whether or not this is going too fast? De Jonge says this is the first phrase. It's the start of the phrase and they are taking steps that are responsible.
We asked you all in a survey what you thought about the Dutch's government handling of the crisis. Here are the results. dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/c…
We also collected some of the comments that people sent with the survey. dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/c…
De Jonge goes on to say that the numbers show us what happened a few weeks ago, not what is happening now.
There's a question over church service: There's a lot of different sized church buildings, how will this be regulated? Rutte says that the virus likes places where people shout and sing and are close together. So we have to be careful.
Rutte ends by saying "Spread the word, not the virus" at church service.
Ok we are done. Our story will be up shortly.
In the meantime, please give us some cash so we can keep doing this [read: afford gin]. dutchnews.nl/donate-to-dutc…
And here is our story. dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/d…
