On the advice of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), the cabinet has scrapped the very latest corona measures. This means that people no longer have to stay at home in case of complaints and no longer have to do a self-test.
In that advice from the end of last month, the OMT stated that corona is no longer a pandemic, but is in the so-called endemic phase, which means that the virus is part of everyday life. After the Council of Ministers, Minister Ernst Kuipers Kuipers (Public Health) said that from now on corona will be approached in the same way as other respiratory infections.
“It is a special moment. Also to think about it for a while,” says Kuipers. Just over three years ago, the Netherlands had its first corona patient. “Meanwhile, we are in a different phase. We know that corona is not going away, and the number of patients is also up and down. But almost every Dutch person has built up some form of defense. The number of people who need medical help due to serious illness fortunately limited.”
The minister does call on everyone to be “sensible” and to continue to comply with hygiene measures, such as coughing and sneezing in the elbow, washing hands regularly, and ensuring good ventilation indoors. In the event of complaints, people must remain careful and keep their distance from others, especially from “people with fragile health”.