Thread by @DutchNewsNL

Thanks, we hate it.

https://twitter.com/DutchNewsNL/status/1413460045346529282

Our feelings about tonight:

Look, we were promised no more press conferences until August and now there's this. Alcohol may not cut it tonight.

The Dutch News crew is not happy to be here tonight.

Anyway we were just told we can't quit so I guess we're gonna do this.

Here's what we know. Corona infections are rising faster than my blood alcohol levels. dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/p…

If we're being honest, the thing that's really gotten the Dutch's attention is that other countries don't want them to come visit, cancelling precious holiday plans. dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/a…

Doesn't matter much what happens tonight, Brits are gonna need to quarantine regardless. (Thanks for making us look not so bad UK??) dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/b…

*laughs in it's just a flu* dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/m…

Some places are reporting the dramatic measures the government is going to take, which is forcing all of us to have to work on a Friday night, are:

-closing bars at midnight
-scrapping the entry testing system
-possibly limiting indoor events to 500 people and outdoor to 1,000

The whole entry testing thing is not....going well. dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/m…

We want you all to suffer too. Watch the press conference here. nos.nl/livestream/238…

Irma looks great.

Apparently we have to tweet about stuff besides Irma, which is dumb and we'd like to file a complaint.

We've been told to stop complaining and start tweeting.

(It's the same thing!!!!)

"Good evening," says Prime Minister Mark Rutte. (This is a lie, it is not good.)

At the last press conference, we were talking about good developments. "Everything pointed to a good summer," he says.

(Everything besides the government policies.)

Rutte says that measures are not fun, but needed. "I understand this is a disappointment for certain sectors," Rutte says.

(Certain sectors is one way to describe the entire country and everyone who lives in it.)

New measures, starting at 6AM tomorrow.

In every horeca situation, 1.5 meters is required and assigned seating.

Horeca has to close between midnight and 6AM. (Cue videos of people partying tonight as if the world is ending.)

No screens, no live music, no events. (Will bitterballen be allowed? Inquiring minds want to know.)

Until August 14th, everyone has to keep distance at all events, including outdoors. This means reduced capacity, around 1/3 of normal.

Entrance tests will only be valid for 24 hours instead of 40.

"Let me stress this isn't only about sharpening measures," Rutte says. "It is about our own behavior."

(No one has listened to you, no one is going to listen to you. You're just embarrassing yourself at this point.)

"Everyone needs gezelligheid," he says.

(You know what everyone needs more? Lung capacity.)

Keep washing your hands, blah blah blah, over to Hugo de Jonge whose face just keeps getting more annoying.

De Jonge says that about half of vulnerable people are fully vaccinated, about 80% have had one jab.

Two weeks ago, everything was greent. The choice to reduce measures was "logical" he says.

(Counter point: It wasn't logical and plenty of people said this.)

He says it isn't just about young people, they have family. The vaccine isn't perfect. The virus can still do damage.

Young people can be hospitalised, they can have symptoms long afterwards, de Jonge warns.

"We have so much health care to catch up on," de Jonge says.

(It's too bad you didn't think of that two weeks ago.)

De Jonge warns everyone to be prepared when they leave and return when traveling.

(Doesn't matter much anyway, because the rest of Europe doesn't want us.)

"Last press conference we said we were nearly there, but not entirely," de Jonge says.

(Turns out we were a lot less than nearly.)

De Jonge says that by the end of next week, all adults will have had their first jab. By mid August, all adults will have had both.

(All adults who will get it, he means.)

Question time.

NOS: Have you gone to fast?

(Yes, moving on, let's get through this, my drink is running low.)

Rutte says, he doesn't think so, it was a logical decision. "We assumed that cases would rise."

(I'm sorry I am dead, I have been murdered by absurdity.)

I am now tweeting as a ghost. My life is cursed.

NOS: With the entry testing and young people not jabbed, is that responsible?

Rutte says that we think so. And that the Delta goes faster than expected.

(Apparently no one thought to call up a random British person and ask how things were going.)

Until now the focus was on hospital admissions, but that's not the case?

Rutte says that's still the case, there is a risk that it travels through generations.

RTL: What is the most important goal of the these measures?

Protect health care and the vulnerable, Rutte says.

If we turn it around, when will the new measures be removed?

(God are we will doing this one and half miserable years into this miserable pandemic.)

Rutte says, exactly as you would expect, that when people get vaccinated and the numbers go down.

Will we have to wait until everyone gets vaccinated? There are a group of people who won't.

Rutte says no, we wouldn't need to wait for them. But for now we have too many people with only one vaccine.

De Jonge takes over to say that they will make new decisions by August 13th. (This is when the next press conference was supposed to be.) He says by then we will have about 85% of people with two jabs.

SBS: Again we're breaking. Is this is a change in policy?

(*extreme deep breath*

De Jonge says it's not a change in policy. (...I mean it seems like a change in policy....)

It's a mess. You are responsible. Can you remain?

(SOMEONE GIVE THIS MAN A PRIZE)

De Jonge says "Yes a lot is needed."

(Sure, that's great and all but should you be doing it?)

It hasn't gone well, what mistakes did you make?

"We all thought the reduction in measures was logical," says de Jonge.

The experts said it was too early, the Dansen met Jannsen was against medical advice. Are you still behind these points?

De Jonge says "I've been to the song festival"

(Further proof it was a terrible idea.)

De Jonge has said that allowing people to go to nightclubs immediately after getting the Jansen shot wasn't because they were protected, but because of the low infection rate.

Rutte is not happy with being pressed about whether or not they screwed up and are responsible for the current situation.

BNR: Will you accept that people get ill (from) lockdowns?

"We don't have a lockdown," says de Jonge. (And he is not wrong!)

De Jonge reiterates that they are looking at the OMT advice (except when they disregard it totally) and their goal is to protect vulnerable people.

Will festivals have to stop? Rutte says that it's hard to imagine a dance event going forward, the risk is too high. (No Lowlands, etc then)

From June 26th, a minister was singing about getting rid of face masks. Where did the sense of urgency go?

(The song thing was extremely awkward.)

Rutte says he doesn't run away from criticism. (Rutte really has a bad memory, as he forgot about three minutes ago.) "No doubt we could do better."

De Jonge says that many people did well, but we also see many people who did not do well.

(Yes the numbers see that too.)

I know the evaluation will come later, but what do you regret now? De Jonge says that you can look every day at what you can do better.

(Ok, have you done that though?)

What do you think you should do different? We made the decision in the context of the moment. De Jonge also says that they knew the numbers would rise.

De Telegraaf: You want a high vaccination rate. What is enough?

De Jonge says it needs to be higher with the new Delta variant. The reality is that we will not get rid of the virus, he says. If you don't get vaccinated, you have to accept you could get ill.

A question specifically about Lowlands. Rutte says that he doesn't know what the organisation will do.

(It's scheduled for August 20-22)

ANP: Is this enough?

De Jonge says that we need to remain vigilant. (He also said this at the last press conference.)

You asked experts, we don't know what's in the advice. So is it enough?

De Jonge says it has been modelled but we can only model with certain scenarios. There are a lot of uncertainties.

NRC: Was long covid not a concern three weeks ago, with the early reductions and the high numbers?

De Jonge says that this increase is really bizarre and the context has changed.

It is weird to hear it was logical in that context? Did you learn lessons?

Rutte says it is impossible to learn lessons while you're doing something.

(Has Rutte ever....learned anything?)

We were here a year ago, in the same situation? Rutte says it's very different because now we have vaccinations and also that the Delta variant is much more infectious.

If the Netherlands is the only country in Western Europe that is red, why is that? Is it policy? Rutte says that we have to look at other developments.

Volkskrant: When did you know the Delta variant was more infectious?

We knew that for awhile, Rutte says. We evaluated it on the basis of models.

When did you know there was a problem with the Testing for Entry program? De Jonge says that we knew all along there would be some problems (leaking). We took that into account.

Did the program take Delta into account? Good question, he says, they can't say.

(Uh...who can say?!?!)

Why wasn't this taken into an account? Was it a mistake?

De Jonge says no, the infection level was very low.

FACE MASK QUESTION ALERT

Why not put the face mask mandate back? It's very busy if you go to the supermarket?

Rutte says they have asked the OMT and there is no reason for a mask.

He says this can be managed with other measures. (Which is nearly the same thing he said about facemasks a year ago.)

Nieuwsuur: Was was the basis for the new measures? De Jonge says it's the increase. On the first of June, there were 500-600 cases, today it was 7000.

Did the cabinet take too much risk?

De Jonge says that they knew it was a risk, but it was in the context of the low infection rate.

Rutte says have a good weekend.

(We would die of the ridiculousness but we are already dead and apparently you can't die twice.)

Ok our story will be out shortly, no jokes, no gifs, just the facts.

Shoutout to the person who just gave us 100 bucks. You're keeping the lights on and the booze cabinet stocked. Wanna help? dutchnews.nl/donate-to-dutc…

Here's the very (boring) story. dutchnews.nl/news/2021/07/d…