Corona tests for travel are free in July and August. The ministry has budgeted 250 million euros for testing before vacation for up to 3.5 million tests. That is a maximum, says the spokesman. It is difficult to estimate exactly how much it will cost in advance, because countries have different entry requirements. “You can enter Austria with 1 shot, and you need 2 shots for other countries. There are many scenarios, it also depends on how well things are going.”
Test for access
The companies that test for holidays are partly the same as the companies that test for access to events or clubs, for example. The ministry has nevertheless gone through a separate tender procedure for tests before vacation.
“We couldn’t just say that the parties that did tests for access could also test for holidays, because then not everyone would have had a chance. Perhaps parties that wanted to test for holidays did not participate in the tender round for tests for access. it’s just legal.”
Jan-Michiel Hebly, professor of construction and procurement law at Leiden University and lawyer at Benthem Gratama, understands this reasoning, but does think it could have been set up more conveniently. “When they opened the tender round for tests for access, they could have added the option to register you for tests for vacation. Then it could have been done in one go. But that is in hindsight.”
Testing for access also falls under another ministry: the Ministry of Health. A spokesperson there also refers to the legal reason. In addition, the Ministry of Health would be overloaded, and testing for travelers would also fit better with the role of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Waiting for connection
NOS today approached various commercial test companies. Most did not respond or did not want to speak to us. Alegria Health and Test on Corona both say they are waiting for the connection from the ministry.
“We do not know how long it will take before this is resolved,” says Martijn Boshuis of Test op Corona. “It is frustrating: we are preparing for this and we have made investments.” The company expects to do hundreds of tests per day.