Mayor Halsema believes that a basic discussion must take place first before deciding whether to introduce a vaccination obligation. She said this afternoon in Buitenhof. “You can veer if the crisis is big enough, but think about it very carefully.”

Halsima emphasized that the decision to introduce the vaccination obligation is up to Parliament, and therefore she does not want to say whether she supports it or opposes it. I have made, however, two comments.

“Left or right, the obligation to vaccinate has a huge impact on people’s basic rights,” the mayor said. “It may be in a crisis that reversing the collective danger trumps the basic rights of the individual. But I think you should have a basic argument about that.”

She also believes that it is necessary to investigate the efficacy of such a procedure. “Because if the effect is that introducing it drives people who haven’t yet been vaccinated to move away further, the question is whether it works.”

Halsema is concerned about the escalation of tensions and wants to prevent further polarization. “I don’t think it helps us think about division. Pointing fingers at each other is not going to help us.”

2G . measurement

Halsema also said she had reservations about the possibility of introducing a 2G meter. “The applicability of that is very complex.” When asked how many police and enforcement officers will be needed to implement 2G, she said, “I have no idea. But once these measures are introduced, the retail sector, the hospitality industry and the people themselves are responsible for compliance. First check.. we impose repeated abuses and violations” .

national think tank

Halsema also advocated the creation of a national think tank. “Put different people from different disciplines side by side to think of scenarios.” She hopes that this will allow for better long-term thinking, because Corona will be with us for a long time to come.

When asked who should lead such a think tank, she said she considers names like former AMC director Marcel Levy or Director of the Office of Social and Cultural Planning Kim Potters. “I think there is a lot of mental capacity in the Netherlands.”