Most ribbed, that is how the attitude of the House of Representatives towards the corona measures can be described for a year and a half. This could just come to an end with the latest plans for the corona admission ticket. Such a pass is available for those who have been vaccinated, tested or cured. From September 25, part of public life will only be accessible with a corona ticket, which can be shown via a QR code on your phone, or a printed version of it, if it is up to the cabinet. The one and a half meter society would then be history, multi-day events and pop concerts are possible again.
The lack of understanding between vaccinated and the more than 1.8 million unvaccinated is growing, according to research by I&O Research on Monday. Vaccination is a free choice, according to three in five Dutch people, but a slightly narrower majority of 55 percent is also in favor of a corona ticket. Society’s patience with the corona restrictions is running out, for that a look in any cafe or in a shopping street is enough.
Colorful company of moderate critics, from #UnmuteUs, artists, religious to fundamental rights defenders and privacy objectors
Unvaccinated people in turn feel increasingly discriminated against and pressured. In their criticism of cabinet policy, the ‘wappies’ have been joined by a motley crew of moderate critics, from #UnmuteUs, artists, religious to fundamental rights defenders and privacy objectors.
Just to be clear: the plans are not yet officially known and the decision has not yet been made. After the consultation in the Catshuis on Sunday, a corona tradition – now a corona tradition – was first leaked to the press. On Tuesday evening, outgoing Prime Minister Rutte and Minister De Jonge will give a press conference, Thursday there will be a debate in parliament.
That order has bothered some MPs for some time. Farid Azarkan of Denk has been critical of forms of indirect vaccination urges from the start. “The cabinet is crossing a dividing line with this. Do we as parliament have anything to say about that, I wonder?” Like the PVV, Azarkan submitted broadly supported motions against vaccination urges. In this way, he sees the already shaky trust of vulnerable groups in politics further decline.
Ouwehand: ‘This will ultimately also not do the vaccination rate any good’
Esther Ouwehand of the Party for the Animals also sees this. “I heard Minister De Jonge say at the end of last year: ‘There will be no reward for vaccinated people’. This fuels distrust in politics and ultimately will not do any good for vaccination rates.” Ouwehand points to the advice of the Health Council of February, which established that a vaccination pass for access to non-essential facilities (such as catering) also falls under ‘urge’. “As a cabinet, show that your interests are weighed carefully. That is not happening now, see Formula 1.”
Mirjam Bikker of the ChristenUnie does not want to respond to the plan itself because she does not know it yet, but she does want to say this: “Is a measure necessary to curb the pandemic or just to raise the vaccination rate? Against the latter I am reserved. It is nice that the government is returning some of its freedom, but the measures that will replace it must be proportional and not too drastic for unvaccinated people. Nobody wants a dichotomy.” Like Azarkan and Ouwehand, Bikker thinks that there is still a lot to gain from good information about vaccination, especially in urban areas where vaccination coverage is lagging behind.
If the corona pass continues, testing will remain free for the time being
With the doubts of the ChristenUnie, a parliamentary majority for the corona pass is still uncertain. The ChristenUnie was also against its own contribution for tests, for which the liberal half of the coalition, VVD and D66, received a majority in August with the support of the CDA. But if the corona pass continues, testing will remain free for the time being.
The question now is how the cabinet weighs the unrest in society, and the reluctance of the catering industry to enforce the measure. From the Torentje, Mark Rutte will also have seen how his British colleague Boris Johnson had to withdraw a similar plan again, after massive protests.
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Soon we can only go to theater and cafe with a QR code
The ‘one and a half meter society’ is disappearing. But in its place comes another, sensitive measure: catering and culture are alone accessible with a corona pass.
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