Events to take place again with rapid testing and a CoronaCheck app

The government wants to implement more rapid tests and a corona app to enable events to take place again. A first trial event should take place in March in which the government's new corona app will be tested. Outgoing Minister of Health Hugo de Jonge says in the national newspaper de Volkskrant that he wants to set up large-scale access tests for events and theaters afterward.

"After the pilot in March, we will start with the real thing in April, at first with limited capacity. In the meantime, we are arranging sufficient testing options and a law will go to Parliament in March." Until then, the applicable regulations will have to be adhered to in order to contain the coronavirus as much as possible, says De Jonge.

"For the time being, the measures are still necessary, we really cannot get away from that. We will try to offer more perspective with large-scale access tests in small steps. This enables us to make things possible that otherwise, given the state of the epidemic, might still be irresponsible. Think of the theater or sports stadiums."

De Jonge mentions rapid tests and PCR tests as options for use. In addition, the government has developed the CoronaCheck app. This will allow visitors to show a negative test result at the entrance. "We are one of the first countries in the West to try it this way," he added.

In a few months, 400,000 tests must be made available daily, which will give people a test certificate via the CoronaCheck app, De Jonge said earlier in De Telegraaf. For example, the coronavirus must not only be detected and traced, but life must also become safer again, for example, to go to events.