The 2G rule means that a person will not receive a QR code in the CoronaCheck app until he or she has been vaccinated or cured of the coronavirus. Testing is therefore no longer an option. According to the RIVM, the vaccination rate in the Netherlands for people over the age of 12 is more than 82 percent. That means that about 18 percent are unvaccinated.
Swimming without QR
Age de Jong, manager of Aquacentrum Den Helder, offers a solution for these people. He has opened the outdoor pool to anyone who does not have a QR code, so that they too can swim. “We want everyone to be able to come to us, QR code or not,” he tells EditieNL.
On Saturday mornings, the outdoor pool is open to anyone who wants to use it. “People then have to go outside to the pool, change there and leave the pool outside. A maximum of three people per lane are also allowed to swim.”
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In this way, according to De Jong, the swimming pool complies with the corona rules. “Plus this is the best ventilation there is, because it is in the open air. And people are very happy with it. They can put their mind to zero here and move around.”
3G becomes 2G
This swimming pool is therefore for everyone, but the 2G rule can create a dichotomy between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, thinks social psychologist Paul van Lange. “I think it is true that there is dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction will increase among unvaccinated people,” he tells EditieNL.
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In recent days, he has seen support for the 2G rule growing. “The majority determines the standard, after all. That support also comes from abroad, they are also working on it now. That makes it easier for our government to account for it.”
Lock out
“In a sense, you can argue that the 2G rule also protects the unvaccinated.” According to Van Lange, this group feels excluded. “That is a very strong effect. Even as a minority you can be very strong and also become more extreme.”
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The 2G rule can create resistance for some of these people, thinks epidemiologist and psychologist Esther Metting. “Especially with the people who really refuse it. You have now passed the people who are lax,” she tells EditieNL.
But others are not so easily convinced by the 2G rule. “In that case, encouraging people to vaccinate is the long-term solution. You have to focus on a good vaccination strategy.” It is also important to show understanding for unvaccinated people. “You shouldn’t just deal with punishment and negative consequences. Otherwise you push people completely into a group.”
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