A rule here, a guideline there and then 'agreement' on something: the Dutch appear to be a reasonable people, quite willing to collectively put their shoulders to the wheel. The government enjoys great trust, which is guaranteed in a system of democratically agreed rights and laws.
In the panic of the first two weeks of the corona crisis, excellent action was taken, of course, given that our experts were completely taken by surprise by this virus that had emerged elsewhere a few months earlier. The situation called for tough emergency measures and the Dutch understood the drastic but temporary interventions.
At the end of March, it was already clear what the situation was. Tomorrow is June 1 (two months later) and the restrictions are being lifted step by step. Jaap van Dissel still has nothing to do with face masks and the double blind randomized peer-reviewed research on aerosols that he required is still not there. (Or rather: it is there, but he always finds a reason to reject the results). That all this is not progressing is described elsewhere.
In the meantime, many of our basic rights have been violated in the process due to the exceptional situation in which the corona crisis has brought us. These are both fundamental rights and things that can be found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Just to name a few:
- Freedom from fear
- Right to access to information and communication
- Critical media
- Restriction of freedom
- The Impediment of Speech
- Privacy Violations
- Not respecting the right to self-determination
- Deliberately frightening
- Freedom from Defect
- Healthy living for the population
- Living in peace
- Freedom from fear
This human right is violated by, for example, daily anecdotal reports about ineffective treatments in Intensive Care, which can be seen on all broadcasters (especially public ones). The various motivations to 'persevere' can also be seen as veiled threats. (Not intended that way, I know, but the population is made afraid of the consequences.) - Right to access to information and communication
A lot of information is secret. The 'models' of the RIVM, the composition of the OMT, Jaap van Dissel's dementia, decision-making procedures, protocols in the event of an epidemic - we know nothing about it. The population assumes that they will vote for a government that provides accurate information.
The RIVM has hopefully spread well-intentioned but factually incorrect information for months. Corrections to this from the outside have been systematically ignored, a 2nd opinion has never been included. This information (see, for example, the simple daily reports) has fooled the population by suggesting that the report reflected more than just the RIVM's timesheets. - Uncritical media
The corona crisis has also exposed a journalistic crisis. Our most authoritative sources of information, the public broadcaster and the 'quality' newspapers, have been parroting the government/RIVM positions for months. There was hardly any room for dissenting voices, not even for foreign scientists with larger catchment areas and more professional knowledge than our Dutch experts. Journalists had no critical questions. The public broadcaster and the quality newspapers seemed like mouthpieces for the established order. Very worrying to note. - The obstacle to freedom
Leaving home was actually not allowed - in any case it was 'obstructed' by urgent negative advice for our own good (which is another fear-driven argument). In some countries the military patrolled and checked for exemption documents. Fortunately, we have remained relatively 'free'. - The Impediment of Speech
With the disappearance of controversial interviews and posts on social media, it remains a mystery who was behind it. This is a long list. It is frightening that blatant nonsense is left to be involved. Only sharp analyses with a high or even scientifically based probability are removed. See also the aforementioned media: you would almost assume censorship that has hindered the media from functioning properly. - Privacy Violations
Tracking & tracing, inspecting waste (sewer), collecting telecom data - it touches chords that have always been very sensitive. Privacy violations attract a lot of attention, especially when they are unique cases: a murder suspect or a TBS patient, or a deceased person whose medical file must remain secret forever. At the very least, a judge should be involved if such a case arises. We now very easily transfer our (anonymized) telecom data to a virologist club. I have not yet been able to find any substantiation for the usefulness of this privacy violation* - Not respecting the right to self-determination
It is determined for the population what is best for them. This can also be expected from a well-functioning government. The conflict between precautions on the one hand and restrictions on freedom on the other is dealt with too lightly, not to say irresponsibly. - Deliberately frightening
This goes back to the first mentioned Human Right. I mention it separately because negligence in 'protecting against fear' does not necessarily mean that oneself has an active role in 'sowing fear among the population'. - Freedom from Defect
I will conclude with another human right which means that governments are obliged to do their population te verzekeren from A healthy life in peace.- Healthy living for the population
Public health has been deliberately dealt a serious blow. This is not 'easy to say in retrospect' (see my thoughts from about 6 weeks ago on https://virusvaria.nl/2020/04/22/hoezo-volksgezondheid/ - I expect a passionate healthcare professional to notice something like this sooner than I do, as an unsuspecting but concerned outsider who comes to take a look.
- Living in peace
I find it difficult to conclusively define 'living in peace'. Let me start with what I imagine living in a war situation. Then I think of: living under constant threat, under strict controls, contact restrictions, freedom restrictions, bans on gatherings, victims among the population, distinction between population groups, financing the war chest of government programs at the expense of prosperity... doesn't that all sound far too familiar?
- Healthy living for the population
* Toelichting bij privacyschending Een voorbeeld dat werd gegeven: "Stel dat er na een feest in Delft een uitbraak is en je ziet dat na dat feest een grote groep telefoons richting Noordwijk is gegaan. Dan kunnen we de GGD's in Noordwijk waarschuwen op hun hoede te zijn". Dus dat bijvoorbeeld Noordwijk straks op slot kan op basis van een privacyschending en data die alleen het RIVM mag inzien, dat is geen enkel probleem. Ik begrijp het voorbeeld überhaupt niet: corona-meldingen zullen zich bij gelijktijdige besmetting ook tegelijkertijd voordoen, zowel in Delft als in Noordwijk. Hoezo denk je dat voor te zijn door telefoons te tracken? Individueel tracken/tracen dat zou ik begrijpen maar dat stuit op nog veel grotere privacyproblemen. (Het is een complexe gedachtengang maar ik begrijp hier dat nog steeds niet volledig wordt begrepen hoe belangrijk carnaval is geweest en hoe het werkt met besmettingsdynamiek. Nog steeds gaat de virologenblik door de microscoop en niet vanuit de helikopter.)
