Outbreak team wanted to close high schools, universities

The Outbreak Management Team advised the government to close upper secondary schools, higher vocational education, and universities. The experts on the team are concerned about the amount of infections among young people and therefore recommended moving them to online learning, OMT member Marc Bonten said on NPO Radio 1.

"We gave that as a consideration," Bonten said on the program Spraakmakers. "Look, if you really want to take a quick step, then this should be considered, because it really makes a contribution."

The government decided against closing education, even partially, as one of the additional measures announced in a press conference on Tuesday. This partly had to do with pediatricians raising concerns about children's well being, political reporter Lars Geerts said to NOS.

In a briefing to parliament on Wednesday, RIVM director Jaap van Dissel said that with the current partial lockdown and the measures announced on Tuesday, Covid-19 related ICU admissions should drop to an acceptable 10 per day by December 20. If schools were closed, that would happen by December 7, he said.