Access testing will no longer be free in an attempt to encourage Covid vaccination
Access testing will not be offered free of charge in the future, the Cabinet stated during the press conference on Friday. This way, the Cabinet said they hope to motivate people to get vaccinated.
From September 20 onwards, a valid QR code in the CoronaCheck app will be required by gatherings larger than 75 people inside, as well as outside. To get the QR code a negative coronavirus test, proof of a recent recovery from Covid-19 or a Covid-19 vaccination certificate is required.
“We want to step away from the free tests”, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during the press conference. “That makes it less attractive to not get vaccinated.”
Mandatory vaccination is not on the table, for now, the Cabinet said. “You cannot make the people who took their chance wait on the people who did not take their chance when it was offered to them”, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said during the press conference. “There is a limit as to how far the freedom of one can encroach on the freedom of another.”
People can now get vaccinated without an appointment in the Netherlands. The government created a website where anyone can quickly look vaccination center near them. Hereby, the Cabinet hopes to boost the number of Covid-19 vaccination appointments which have been decreasing in the past weeks.
