100 new Covid testing sites for access to events

Continuous testing remains one of the main tactics in the fight against the coronavirus. Therefore, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday that they will be opening 100 new sites specifically for testing people before and after events, the NOS reports. People can visit these sites before attending a gathering, such as a concert, soccer match or going to the movies.

Prior to and after an event, people can get tested and prove their negative test results with the new CoronaCheck-app. The app was supposed to be tested this week during the Back to Life festivals in Biddinghuizen, but due to stormy weather expected for the weekend, the festival experiments were postponed.

The new testing sites will be equipped with rapid tests that only cost one euro;a lot cheaper than the regular PCR-tests that are used at GGD testing sites.

The Ministry of Health said that for now, you do not have to pay for the tests yourself. A spokesperson did, however, say to the NOS: “It is possible that at a later stage that will be added fee to the entry to continue to fund the tests.”

At the test center, people will be given a code to enter into the CoronaCheck app. The app creates a QR-code for each user which will be checked prior to entering an event. If the coronavirus test is negative, the app shows a green checkmark.

Users will not need their DigiD to log in to the CoronaCheck-App. Workers at the testing sites will, nonetheless, make sure that the date of birth and the initials in the app match the ones written on the ID card. In this way, the Ministry wants to avoid “someone gaining access with the green light from their neighbor.”

To ensure that the test comes from the person whose name is on it, take-home tests will not be allowed. Tests will only be valid for 48 hours after their completion. Afterward, a new test will be required.

The earliest testing sites for events will be open is mid-April, the ministry of health announced. The initiative is part of the government's plan to slowly be able to reopen the country again safely.