The cabinet's decision to change the validity period of the corona entry pass and bring it in line with other European countries once again demands a great deal from all of us.
This change raises many new questions and may cause some confusion. With this message, we therefore aim to clear up as many uncertainties as possible, answer your questions, and provide advice. Should you wish to speak with one of our employees following this newsletter, that is of course always possible. You will find the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Change in validity of corona admission ticket
To begin with, some factual information. As of Tuesday, February 8, the validity of the corona entry pass has been aligned with other European countries. The Cabinet has decided to give vaccination certificates in the Netherlands a validity of 270 days from now on. This validity is applied retroactively. This means that a vaccination certificate is no longer valid 270 days after the last vaccination. For a recovery certificate, this is 180 days. After the booster vaccination, the vaccination certificate is valid again; however, no validity period has yet been set for this. A booster vaccine, a recent recovery certificate, or a negative test result is required for a green check mark in the CoronaCheck app (the so-called 3G rule).
Our position
The drastic measures taken by the government have a major impact on our country and on our industry. Everyone has the right to sport, and we at RWIJK GYM do not want to turn anyone away. We do not consider this customer-friendly, and it requires continuous extra effort in already turbulent times. We understand that this measure may therefore be a very sensitive issue. We are regularly challenged to formulate our position regarding the CTB, including now with the change in validity period. Let us be clear:‘We want everyone at RWIJK GYM to be able to work on their health, vaccinated, unvaccinated, with or without a booster!’ Participating in sports is part of the solution, not the problem. In the consultations our trade association holds with the government, they are not receiving a satisfactory answer to the questions regarding how long and in what manner the government intends to continue working with the CTB. Until that time, however, monitoring the CTB is a requirement imposed by the government, with severe consequences if we do not comply.
Vaccination/booster registration
Previously, we received questions about whether it is possible to check vaccinated members against their CTB only once, and this was possible with our services. Now, due to the change in the validity period of the CTB, this question is coming back to us. In formal communication, it essentially boils down to the fact that the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) does not view a one-time registration as an official check. The government has made you responsible for only admitting people with a valid CTB. As a company, we must take this tension into account when choosing our approach. Fortunately, due to the very personal nature of our services, we can contact Verify with our members that the person registering for a training is indeed the same person who has been (previously) checked for a valid CTB and identity.
However, this is now changing due to the decision that has been made. If we opt for a one-time check, we would have to record the date of the booster for everyone entering our facility to exercise (because the validity is still unknown), or, in the case of vaccination, register the end date (or validity) of the CTB in our system, and decide whether or not we are allowed to let you in. This is because the expiry date of the CTB is different for everyone (depending on the vaccination date). We will not be doing this, so for our indoor training sessions, we will have to ask everyone for their CTB every time. We hope for your understanding in this matter.
Sport as an essential sector
You might be wondering, then, what is the situation regarding the motion about 'sport being essential'? That decision rests with the new Minister of Long-Term Care and Sport, Conny Helder. We will receive more information about this from our industry association shortly and will then share it with everyone. We regularly read that people make the connection between being essential and whether or not it is mandatory to request the CTB. However, we do not expect that this will automatically lead to the abolition of the CTB.
Just as we have all been doing for the past two years, let's simply continue as usual with sports and exercise in a safe and pleasant environment! Fortunately, it is possible at RWIJK GYM all because we have a beautiful indoor and outdoor gym.
contact details:
email: info@rwijkgym.nl
phone number: 06 81 13 53 75
source: Trade association NL Aktief
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