Parliament supports Covid access pass in non-essential stores

The lower house of Dutch parliament supports using the coronavirus access pass in clothing stores and other non-essential retail trade. A majority supported a bill to that effect from the caretaker Cabinet during a debate on Wednesday. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge wants to make the introduction legally possible given the drastic increase in infections and hospital admissions of seriously ill patients.

It is not yet certain whether the coronavirus access pass will really be introduced there and how. That depends on the developments in the next two weeks and the advice from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT). The Senate also has to weigh in. The plan was difficult to get through parliament, but De Jonge promised that the proportionality of the measure for the affected businesses, hairdressers, for example, will be carefully examined. The coalition parties at least accepted this explanation.

Previously the Cabinet introduced the access pass in the catering industry, the art and culture sector, and sports facilities. There people have to show a QR code to get in. People get that code when they are vaccinated, recently recovered from a coronavirus infection, or tested negative. The Cabinet is also working on legislation only to allow access to protected people. Testing will no longer be sufficient. This mainly concerns catering establishments and large-scale events.

If the Cabinet introduces the coronavirus access pass in non-essential shops, it will consider the size of the location, the type of shop, and local circumstances. For example, a coronavirus access pass could be mandatory in shops in certain areas if the infection rate is very high. But at the moment, it's high throughout the country, De Jonge said. It may also mean that certain small shops do not have to request an access pass, but that does not immediately mean that all small shops do not have to, according to the Minister. To this end, trade-offs will always be made between the measure and the goal so that more customization is possible. Parliament will be involved in such ministerial regulations.

At the request of the VVD and ChristenUnie, the option is also included to enforce social distancing instead of showing a coronavirus access pass. De Jonge agreed with this but emphasized that this option is not up to the retailer to decide but to the government.

The Cabinet will also seek advice on the social and economic impact of the measure.