Following the coronavirus press conference on April 13, the Dutch government announced that it had approved plans for a further 12 Fieldlab trial events and another trial holiday.
A number of coronavirus-proof trial events have already taken place across the Netherlands, and events organisation Fieldlab is also overseeing the partial reopening of five bars in Utrecht and attractions across the country using so-called access tests. Now, the government has given Fieldlab permission to organise more events over the next two months.
The second phase of these trials will be aimed at experimenting with larger events and larger groups of people. 12 trials are set to take place in April and May, and will see thousands of people attend concerts, sporting events, and award ceremonies. On April 24, 10.000 people will attend Radio 538’s King’s Day event in Breda and 8.000 people will visit Efteling. On May 8, 9.000 people will be present at the Mud Masters obstacle run in Harlemmermeer, and on May 15, 1.000 people will attend a club night in Amsterdam.
State Secretary for Economic Affairs Mona Keijzer called the initial results from the first eight events “hopeful,” and said that it was crucial to examine whether the same measures were effective when dealing with much larger groups. “[I know] this seems like a big party, but this investigation is extremely serious. In this way, we will continue to look within the cabinet to see what is possible,” she said.
In addition to more trial events, the government announced plans for a second trial holiday. Earlier this week, 189 people hopped on a plane at Schiphol and headed to the Greek island of Rhodes for an all-inclusive, coronavirus-proof trial holiday. For eight days, the holidaymakers can soak up the Greek sun - but they’re not allowed to leave their hotel.
The next holiday - an eight-day trip to Gran Canaria - will see another 189 people tested for coronavirus before boarding the plane at Schiphol. Once on the island, they’ll have to adhere to all the local and Dutch coronavirus rules (maintaining distance, washing hands, etc), but unlike the travellers in Rhodes, they will be allowed to leave their resort. During the trip, behavioural scientists will map out how people can move around safely and whether they stick to the rules.