Measures announced

Outdoor sports activities for under 18s permitted before 20.00

From 11 January 2022 the government intends to allow outdoor sports facilities to remain open until 20.00 for children under 18. Under 18s are already allowed to take part in sports outdoors before 17.00. This will be extended until 20.00.

• Children under 18 are not required to stay 1.5 metres apart while participating in sports.
• They are allowed to take part in team sports and in matches and competitions against teams from their own club.
• Competitions and matches against other clubs are not permitted.

If you are looking for information about the current rules, see the page on Dutch measures against COVID-19.

Booster offensive accelerated for all adults

Because of the Omicron variant everyone aged 18 and over will be invited to receive a booster vaccination by the second half of January. This can help increase protection against the new variant and combat its spread. The booster vaccination schedule is based on age, from oldest to youngest. People will now be able to get the vaccine booster 3 months, instead of 6 months, after their last vaccination or most recent positive test. A total of 8.5 million adults are eligible for a booster. Before the end of 2021 nearly all people over 60 will have been invited to get their booster vaccination.

Proposed longer-term measures

The government is preparing longer-term measures. A number of draft bills have been submitted to the House of Representatives to this effect. Presently, the number of infections and the pressure on the healthcare system does not warrant these measures being implemented. Discussions will continue and decisions will be taken in January 2022.

2G coronavirus entry pass

At the moment, a 3G admission policy applies in certain sectors. This means visitors must show a coronavirus entry pass based on proof of vaccination or recovery, or a negative test result. Under the government’s proposed 2G policy will be possible to require visitors at certain locations to show a coronavirus entry pass based on proof of vaccination or recovery only. These locations may include high-risk settings in the cultural, hospitality and events sectors as well as non-essential locations such as amusement parks and zoos. The policy is set out in a legislative bill that has been submitted to parliament.

Coronavirus entry passes at places of work

Around 9% of infections happen at work. That is why the government wants to make it possible to require people to show a coronavirus entry pass at their place of work. Parliament will debate the Coronavirus Entry Passes (Temporary Expansion) Bill in January. If the bill is approved, employees will be required to show a coronavirus entry pass in sectors where customers are also required to show one (such as the hospitality, cultural and non-essential retail sectors) and at places of work where the risk of infection is high. Which places of work will be designated ‘high risk’ and when the requirement will enter into force will be determined later by way of ministerial orders.

Coronavirus entry passes for non-essential shops and services

The House of Representatives and the Senate have approved the government’s proposal to make it possible to require people to show a coronavirus entry pass at non-essential shops and non-essential services. This means this measure could be introduced in the future if necessary.

Coronavirus entry passes in secondary vocational and higher education

Coronavirus can spread in educational settings. If existing measures prove insufficient to prevent the spread of the virus, there is a risk that education will have to move online again. The government believes education should be offered in-person if at all possible. If the number of infections continues to rise, it may be necessary to make coronavirus entry passes mandatory in secondary vocational education (MBO) and higher education (HBO and universities) in order for educational institutions to stay open. Parliament will debate a draft bill to this effect in January.