Netherlands could launch controversial 2G coronavirus pass rules after lockdown

The Outbreak Management Team advised the caretaker Cabinet to introduce the "2G" system after a short lockdown to stop the rising coronavirus infections, sources told NOS. The Cabinet is currently discussing the controversial system, which means that only vaccinated people and people who recently recovered from a coronavirus infection can get a coronavirus access pass.

The name "2G" refers to the two g's in "gevaccineerd" and "genezen" - Dutch for vaccinated and recovered. The Netherlands currently uses the 3G system in which people who tested negative ("getest") for Covid-19 can also get an access pass. The 2G system is controversial because it restricts access to things like events and the catering and cultural sectors to unvaccinated people. Critics call it against human rights and feel that it forces people to get vaccinated.

Despite the controversy, the Cabinet is still considering the system because it will "very likely" reduce Covid-19 infections and hospital admissions, LUMC epidemiologist Frits Rosendaal said to NOS. The idea is that the 2G system especially protects unvaccinated people, Roosendaal said. "With the current system, the unvaccinated enter an event with a negative test. They can then become infected there and have a higher chance than vaccinated people to become severely ill and be admitted, which puts pressure on hospitals. In addition, unvaccinated people spread the virus more than vaccinated people."

Modelers from TU Delft calculated the effect of the 2G system, NOS reports. They concluded that mainly vaccinated people take the virus to an event because they do not have to get tested beforehand. There they spread it to unvaccinated attendees, who in turn spread it to many other people after the event. The researchers concluded that with the 2G system, there would be 25 percent fewer infections at events. The number of hospitalizations due to an event would decrease by 94 percent at the current vaccination rate.

At the previous coronavirus press conference, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge expressed reluctance to introduce the 2G system. Rutte said the system would be "a huge loss" for the Netherlands. However, De Jonge did say that the Cabinet would take the necessary steps to fight the coronavirus and keep society as open as possible.

"You have to be honest that you may not escape it at some point," De Jonge said, adding that there are no easy choices, and all choices come at a cost. "Suppose at some point you are faced with the choice that you either close a sector or introduce 2G. Then the balance could tip to 2G. Because otherwise, you have to close a sector. You have to give billions in support for it. When you could safely let it continue with 2G."

Within the coalition, opposition against the 2G system mainly comes from the ChristenUnie, who was against introducing the coronavirus access pass from the start, according to the Volkskrant. According to the party, if you can no longer get an access pass with a negative Covid-19 test, it is hard to maintain that there is no "force to vaccinate" in government policy. "The ChristenUnie does not see how 2G can relate to freedom of choice for vaccination," MP Mirjman Bikker said in parliament this week.

The 2G system is already implemented in various German states. Austria is also about to implement it.

In the ten days leading up to the 2G rules there, Austria administered 157,000 vaccine doses. That rose to over 420,000 in the ten days after the plan was announced. The latest vaccinations include 123,000 first vaccine doses, 64,000 second doses of any vaccine, and 235,000 booster shots. The booster campaign in Austria also received extra emphasis because about 64 percent of the total population is vaccinated against Covid-19, similar to the Netherlands. However, over 80 percent of Dutch adults are vaccinated, versus fewer than 74 percent in Austria, according to figures from ECDC.