From 23 June, people who have been vaccinated can access locations and events in the Netherlands via the CoronaCheck app. Outgoing minister De Jonge has said in the House of Representatives that the app must be suitable from that day on to generate vaccination certificates. Now, for entry to a festival or a football match, for example, a negative test is necessary, even if you have been vaccinated.
To guarantee privacy, the controller on the app can only see the date of birth and initials of the person concerned, not whether someone has been vaccinated, tested or recovered from corona. A QR code eventually gives access.
A week later, as of 1 July, the app should also be able to be used for holiday trips abroad, but De Jonge explained that a number of hard nuts still have to be cracked in the EU for this. Member States have different ideas about how that Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) should function.
“We strive for as much harmonization as possible, but I do not rule out the possibility that we will eventually have to make bilateral agreements with some EU countries,” said De Jonge.
Valid only 14 days after vaccination
Some Member States want a DCC to be issued only 14 days after vaccination, because then the protection against the virus is optimal. But that would mean that people cannot go on holiday just after their vaccination, or that they still have to have a corona test done.
Within the EU, the Netherlands will insist that the vaccination provides almost immediate access to foreign countries. All vaccines must be accepted and all countries must agree whether 1 shot is enough for travel. Our country also wants the risks of countries to be assessed differently.
Now a country only goes green if there are fewer than 25 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. Our country wants to raise that limit to 75 per 100,000 inhabitants. The Netherlands currently has around 200 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, but that number is falling rapidly. The government also believes that the border should be raised for orange areas.
Test validity period
There is also a difference of opinion between the EU countries about the validity period of corona tests. Some countries require a PCR test that is no later than 48 hours old, but that would mean that tourists traveling to southern Europe with an overnight stay would have to have a test done en route. PCR tests should be valid for 72 hours, rapid testing for 48 hours, is the government’s commitment.
In addition, the Netherlands wants children under the age of 12 to be exempt from the testing obligation. Under the current proposal, only children under 6 do not need to be tested.
Next Tuesday, EU ministers will meet in Luxembourg to adopt the regulation on the Digital Corona Certificate. The Dutch parliament must therefore approve a legislative amendment before the regulation can take effect on 1 July.
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