Over 500,000 to lose Covid access passes today

From today, about half a million people's coronavirus access passes will expire because they got vaccinated more than nine months ago and have not gotten their booster shot. People who recovered from a coronavirus infection will also no longer get a green check if their proof of recovery is older than six months.

In these cases, people can still get tested if they want to go to a restaurant or cinema. Or get a booster shot. Those whose access pass expired will be notified in the CoronaCheck app. The Ministry of Public Health advises people to regularly open their app to see if their access pass will expire soon and not only check it when trying to get in somewhere. 

According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), approximately 2.6 million people will lose their green checkmark in the coming months if they do not get their booster shot in time. Another 1.1 million people still have to wait for their booster because they got vaccinated too recently or had the coronavirus. There must be three months between booster shot and last vaccination or recovery.

The government limited the validity of the access passes because research showed that the built-up defense against the coronavirus slowly declines. The validity period is in line with the European regulations. 

Social resistance to the coronavirus access pass is growing. Former CDA State Secretary Mona Keijzer launched a digital petition calling for the immediate abolition of the coronavirus access pass on Friday. The petition was signed nearly 700,000 times by Monday evening. Keijzer was dismissed last year when she publicly opposed the coronavirus access pass and thus Cabinet policy.