The effect of 3G coronavirus measures is so limited that it could be removed according to epidemiologists from TU Delft.
Other measures could cover the gap that 3G would leave behind, reports NU.nl.
What are 1G, 2G, and 3G coronavirus measures?
- 1G measures mean fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people can get a QR code if they recently tested negative for the coronavirus.
- 2G measures mean fully vaccinated people and people who recovered from the coronavirus can get a QR code.
- 3G measures mean fully vaccinated people, people who recovered from the coronavirus, and people who tested negative in the last 48 hours can get a QR code.
Dutch epidemiologists have a few reasons why 3G measures aren’t effective.
Epidemiologist Niek Mouter writes that 2G and 3G measures are less effective because of the omicron variant. Even fully vaccinated people can easily catch the virus. And while daily infections rates are breaking records, more people are building up natural protection from the virus.
READ MORE | Coronavirus in the Netherlands: all you need to know
Mouter suggests discussing whether these measures are still necessary to the situation with omicron in the Netherlands.
3G measures will become even less effective
Epidemiologists from UMC Utrecht Patricia Bruijning and Frits Roosendaal agree with Mouter — they say the Netherlands hasn’t reached the peak of coronavirus infections yet.
The WHO estimates that 60% of Europe will be infected with the omicron variant by March but that we are moving towards the “end of COVID-19.”
What would happen if we removed 3G measures in the Netherlands?
Until then, both epidemiologists say that other measures must cover the “loss” of 3G measures because they still affect the spread of the virus.
This would include shutting down horeca and other public locations earlier for a longer period of time, limiting everyone’s movement again.
Now that the Netherlands reopened after a 5-week hard lockdown, it is unlikely that people will be very happy with this. But increasing infection rates and hospitalisations means the country cannot reopen fully yet anyway.
At the end of the day, it is up to the Dutch cabinet to decide and prioritise the issues in the coming weeks.
What do you think of using 3G measures in the Netherlands? Tell us in the comments below!
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