Dutch protest against Covid-19 vaccine pass to enter bars, restaurants

THE HAGUE: Hundreds of protesters marched against the introduction of a "corona pass" in the Netherlands on Saturday, as proof of Covid-19 vaccination became compulsory to get into bars, restaurants, theatres and other venues.

The new requirement to show the pass or a recent negative coronavirus test came into force on Saturday, coinciding with the lifting of almost all social distancing measures in the country, where 72% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose.

While face masks will still be mandatory on public transport, students and teachers will no longer have to wear masks in schools, and a rule for 1.5-metre (nearly 5 feet) distancing in public places was also scrapped. A crowd of several hundred people weaved through the streets of the Dutch government capital, The Hague, with techno music playing over mobile loudspeakers.

They carried banners denouncing vaccines and some compared the Covid-19 restrictions to measures imposed by repressive governments. "Medical Apartheid. Stop vaccine passports," one sign read. Most Dutch people support the corona pass, which also faced opposition when introduced in other European countries such as Italy and France. The move has mainly drawn criticism from the hospitality sector in the Netherlands.

More than 40% of bar and restaurant owners do not plan to ask customers for a certificate, the country's Horeca Nederland hospitality industry association said, citing a survey of its members. It said many businesses saw the requirement as a "political tool" aimed at boosting vaccination take-up. "It is not only impossible to enforce, but will financially damage a sector that is just starting to recover," the association added in a statement.

The decision to introduce the pass also drew criticism from within the government of caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

"If we end up in a society where we have to be afraid of each other unless we can show proof, then you really have to scratch your head and ask yourself: Is this the direction we want to go?" Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Mona Keijzer said in a newspaper interview. The new requirement to show the pass – or a recent negative coronavirus test – coincided with the lifting of almost all social-distancing measures in the country, where 72% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose.

While face masks are still mandatory on public transport, students and teachers will no longer have to wear masks in schools, and a rule for 1.5-metre (nearly five feet) distancing in public was also scrapped.

Several hundred protesters gathered in The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government, to march through the city centre.

Meanwhile, Ireland on Saturday stopped its system of mandatory hotel quarantine for travellers arriving in the country, as coronavirus curbs continue to wind down in the Republic.

Since late March travellers arriving from a government list of "designated states" have been subject to a mandatory two week hotel quarantine.

On Saturday the Irish government said health minister Stephen Donnelly "announced the removal of all remaining states from the list of states designated for the purposes of mandatory hotel quarantine with effect from today".