Cabinet concedes: No Covid pass for outdoor amateur sports

Athletes and spectators in amateur sports in the open air will not have to show a coronavirus access pass (CTB). The Cabinet wanted to introduce this from Saturday for both athletes and the audience, but after pressure from parliament, it decided not to do so. People who want to go inside to visit the toilet, for example, will still have to show a QR code.

The experts of the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) advised the Cabinet last week to introduce the CTB for sports, "particularly where indoor sports are concerned." OMT leader Jaap van Dissel explained on Wednesday that the OMT believes it especially vital to reduce the number of contacts, but also said that "we know from the past that the risks are much less with outdoor sports than with indoor sports."

MPs from left to right were critical of the intention to require a coronavirus access pass, which would apply to everyone from the age of 18. That would mean that parents who want to see their child play sports must be able to show a CTB. Rutte was still firmly attached to the plan at the start of the debate but eventually conceded. He emphasized that using the changing room, toilet, or canteen will only be possible with a QR code.

Not only parliament criticized the proposed measure. On Wednesday, Hubert Bruls, chairman of the Security Council, said that it would be difficult to check. "A coronavirus access pass is technically easy to arrange at a theater," Bruls told parliament. "You have one entrance, and you put someone there. But it becomes more difficult outside. Not every sports park is fenced. At a sports field, young and old mix together, which is difficult for volunteers to keep track of. We can't fix that by sending in enforcers or the goddamn police."