Doing homework or watching TV? Show a child this choice and the answer can be guessed. Dutch companies also know how to find the path of least resistance. At the request of Minister Ernst Kuipers (Public Health, D66), they were allowed to indicate which corona measures would be acceptable in the event of a possible revival of the pandemic. Very little, according to the employers’ organization VNO-NCW published last week.sector plans‘. The corona admission ticket? Rather not, it sounds sector-wide. A lockdown? Restriction of opening hours? No thanks. Face mask obligation? Especially not, say the hairdressers. One and a half meters away? Unworkable, says the event and culture sector.
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You could see from miles away that the willingness to make sacrifices is small and every industry believes that the other industries should bear the burden of corona policy. Then why this exercise? The cabinets of Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) do not like to be known as bossy. During earlier phases of the corona crisis, harsh restrictive measures were invariably combined with a call on citizens and companies not to forget their own responsibility. Only together can we get rid of the virus, Rutte said more than once. The hope is that thanks to the new sector plans, there will soon be less need to impose from above. As a parent who does not want to appear authoritarian would ask: what do you think is best?
Again, companies are not completely on the brakes. Shopkeepers and hairdressers are calling for longer opening hours, instead of shorter ones, so that customers can be spread out better. They suggest setting up hand gel pumps, marking out walking routes and having visitors do a self-test. Measures that are probably insufficient to relieve healthcare in the event of a resurgence of the virus.
If this is a foretaste of the approach to the next major wave of contamination, then that is worrying. In itself, the desire to include companies in policy as much as possible is understandable. Now that it appears that they mainly do not want a lot, it is to be hoped that the government will soon come up with its own plan. The fact that the companies revolve around the hot mess can come in handy here. Minister Kuipers will always be able to say: I asked them, but the answer was rather disappointing. The fact that this is disappointing is not entirely the fault of the sectors concerned. The companies asked the cabinet and RIVM about the effectiveness of measures, but were told that it is difficult to say this about individual measures. That sounds disturbing, if not baffling: surely something has been learned in the past 2.5 years?
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The reintroduction of the mask obligation is difficult for everyone, according to the sector plans. Hairdressers find it a hindrance to communication. The event industry believes that the masks create “false safety”. If the mask returns, the companies say, it must be clear which mask: fabric, surgical, FFP2. A fair point, because even about something so basic there was much more confusion in the Netherlands than in other EU countries. The final sector plans will be laid down in September, the government promises. It is to be hoped that there will not be more discussion, but less. This requires, however annoying it may be, leadership. The government does not have to become the best friends with everyone, but must show that it does what it has to do.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of 26 July 2022