Free Corona beer with Covid-19 vaccine campaign angers Dutch villagers

Plans for a vaccination campaign in Kootwijkerbroek that involved a vaccination bus at a bar, which would give people a complimentary bottle of Corona beer after they got their shot, were scrapped after outrage from village residents. Only 25 percent of adults in Kootwijkerbroek are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

An angry general practitioner told Omroep Gelderland that he would rather have the mobile vaccination station at his office. "Now you make the relationship between the bus and free beer. Then you do it for yourself. That is not a handy action by the GGD," he said to the broadcaster.

Another resident also complained about the combination of vaccine and beer. "I don't understand why you put a bus at a bar as bait. I think it is very important that everyone can freely choose whether or not to get a vaccine. By bribing young people in this way, that freedom is lost."

Another local said that alcohol use is also a sensitive topic. "The last thing you should want is to offer our young people a free drink. It can go wrong so quickly. Religious and non-religious residents don't like this idea and are concerned."

GGD Gelderland-Midden said that it chose the location in consultation with the municipality and other local parties. "We understood that there was mainly interest among young people and that this was a suitable location," the health service said to Omroep Gelderland. The municipality and GGD are currently trying to see if they can find an acceptable location for a mobile vaccination station in the village.