Hey politicians, leave those kids alone

The RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, has launched a study on Coronavirus in families with kids. One of the goals of this research is to ascertain the role of the children in the spread of the virus. The practical application of this study, as the Minister of Education has lately stated, is to understand whether the schools can be opened again.

There are a few aspects of this story that are not convincing.

First: the research conducted by the RIVM is not a scientific truth until it is validated by the international scientific community. During the last days, many medical publications have been retired by the respective authors after scientists around the world have moved their critiques. Although the RIVM is a generally trustworthy institution, the Dutch politics cannot rely on a single study to expose the kids (and their families) to the risk of contagion.

Second obscure aspect of this story: why is there such a hurry to check the role of the kids in the Coronavirus crisis and send them back to school headlong? The natural suspicion is that there is a financial reason behind the wish of having primary and secondary schools open. Normally some 800.000 kids in the Netherlands need to be looked after at day-care centres. This expensive service is paid by the parents but, since the schools have been shut down, about 760.000 kids are at home with their parents, who are incidentally receiving that money back form the government because they don’t use the day-care service. It’s a huge amount of money that the government is reimbursing. I wouldn’t like to think that saving money is for somebody more important than the safety of our kids, who are definitely not immune to the virus.

Giuseppe Raudino

SOURCES

https://nos.nl/artikel/2328217-rivm-start-corona-onderzoek-onder-gezinnen.html

https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/scholen-wel-niet-weer-open-eerst-harde-cijfers-graag~b668fffa/?referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/ouders-zonder-vitale-beroepen-eisen-geld-terug-bij-kinderopvang~ad159086/

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2005073?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed