Finally a fireworks ban - “It is a shame that politicians only seem to start moving when they come to this conclusion under pressure, convinced of corona”
In the slipstream of the coronavirus and the associated measures, the decision has now also been made that no fireworks may be set off during New Year's Eve. A decision that should apply to the whole of the Netherlands. In principle only for 2020 to limit the pressure on hospital and ICU beds. It is still unclear what they will do next. Mayors of six municipalities had already taken the lead and declared a fireworks-free New Year's Eve. That is great news, but it does require a small comment.
The dangers of fireworks have been known for decades. The first SIRE campaigns date back to the 1970s. Only in the last ten years has the discussion surrounding the fireworks ban matured.
The drivers of the fireworks ban were the ophthalmologists. At the turn of the year 2008/2009, they started registering the numbers and severity of eye injuries. The majority of fireworks victims were also bystanders. The issue was then broadened because new perspectives and sub-issues were added again and again. Consider psychological trauma, plastic in fireworks, fireworks waste, particulate matter, soil and water pollution, violence against emergency workers, arson and vandalism, illegal fireworks, animal suffering and the fear among the elderly to go out on the street during the last three days of the year. The list seems endless.
There is a clear shift: in the beginning it was mainly about the individual safety of the firefighters, later it shifted to the safety of bystanders and emergency responders. And from physical and physical personal damage, attention increasingly shifted to social damage.
Ultimately, it took more than ten years before there actually appears to be broad and, more importantly, political support for a fireworks ban. Corona has been the deciding factor this year. It was previously a controversial issue for national politics, with great fear of destroying a Dutch tradition. It is the aforementioned mayors who stuck their necks out. This is courageous and deserves a compliment because large groups in society still have problems saying goodbye to traditions that they hold dear and the fact that national politicians have difficulty with a decision that may not be acceptable to part of their electorate.
Resolving issues sometimes takes a lot of time, especially for issues where enforcement is not feasible. And this brings us to the aforementioned comment. It is understandable and at the same time a shame that the impact of corona and the corona measures have accelerated the ban on fireworks. Understandable because healthcare and emergency services are already burdened to such an extent that they must be spared the suffering and consequences of fireworks. It is a pity that politicians only seem to start moving when they come to this conclusion under pressure, convinced of corona. If politicians had taken responsibility earlier, much of the personal suffering and material damage of recent years could perhaps have been prevented.
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