Covid passes granted to those unable to get vaccinated

People who cannot be vaccinated against the coronavirus for medical reasons will soon be able to get a temporary coronavirus access pass as an alternative, said Health Minister Hugo de Jonge in parliament. They can submit an application for this, which will then be assessed by a doctor and possibly other experts. He estimates that this involves several thousand people. They are currently unable to participate in public life through no fault of their own, various parties said during the coronavirus debate.

At the request of ChristenUnie, a trial was launched last spring where this group could register. The Ministry gained experience with applicants and how an alternative can be arranged as effectively as possible, said De Jonge. He expects that it will take a few more weeks to set this up. The trial also showed that it is not good to have their own doctor assess an alternative because it could put them "in a complicated position."

According to De Jonge, this is explicitly not about people who do not want to get vaccinated or who think that the vaccine is not good for them. Experts also previously pointed out that some people with ailments assume that the coronavirus vaccine is not good for them, but the opposite is the case, according to them.