A new Corona pass is causing discussions in the Netherlands. The 3G certificate is required to visit restaurants, culture or sports. Hackers hindered the start, and thousands demonstrated against the measure. Meanwhile, the Norwegians are celebrating their regained freedoms – and fighting.
After a good 18 months, the Netherlands abolished the safety distance of 1.5 meters introduced due to the corona pandemic at the weekend. However, since Saturday people have had to present a Corona passport to prove a vaccination, recovery or a negative test if they want to visit restaurants, cultural or sporting events. Hacker attacks hindered the start of the controversial passport, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday. As a result, it was sometimes difficult to download the required QR code on Saturday evening. But the attacks were repulsed.
Several thousand people demonstrated on Saturday in The Hague and other cities against the Corona policy and the introduction of the Corona Pass. Many restaurateurs announced that they would not check 3G evidence. Many municipalities also do not want to impose any penalties in the first few weeks for violations. According to a survey, a good third of the population complains that the government restricts freedom too much. A third is behind the measures.
State Secretary dismissed due to disagreements
In the dispute over the Corona course, Prime Minister Mark Rutte dismissed State Secretary Mona Keijzer without notice on Saturday. The unusual step follows Keijzer’s criticism of the introduction of the Corona pass in an interview with the newspaper “De Telegraaf”. The criticism is not compatible with the government’s course, said Rutte.
Keijzer had said to “Telegraaf”: “If we have landed in a society in which one has to be afraid of each other, unless one can present proof, then one has to ask (…): Do we want this direction Select?”
There is no longer a restriction on the number of visitors to stadiums and pubs, shops and theaters in the Netherlands when the Corona passport is presented. Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has recovered can be tested free of charge. But mouth and nose protection remains mandatory on buses and trains. Discos and nightclubs must continue to close at midnight. Around 82 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.
Norway loosens – and fights
Almost all corona restrictions were also lifted in Norway on Saturday. But no trace of discussions: the Norwegians celebrated the end of the Corona rules with numerous parties. Night clubs and pubs were full, and there was a great atmosphere in many places. Songs were sung in queues in front of discos and bars. In the city of Trondheim, several people had to be cared for who passed out while standing in line for a long time. However, fights, injuries and arrests were also reported from several cities, as the public broadcaster NRK reported on Sunday.
“There were many administrative offenses, violent outbreaks and fights,” said Rune Hekkelstrand from the Oslo police force. Several people were arrested for possession of weapons, some were seriously injured. In the city of Tønsberg, south of the capital, a mass brawl broke out at the pier, and a total of twelve people were arrested for rioting in the south-western region of Agder.
Norway lifted most of the corona measures on Saturday afternoon. Among other things, the one-meter distance rule no longer applies, and the restrictions on participation in events and get-togethers no longer apply. Only the requirement to go into isolation in the event of corona disease remains. Entry restrictions will also be gradually lifted. In a European comparison, Norway got through the pandemic relatively well.
