© REUTERS/ Matthias RietschelNetherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks during the gala event after the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Johannes Vermeer. Vom Innehalten" in Dresden, Germany, September 9, 2021.
The court in The Hague said the government had the right to demand proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test to limit the spread of the coronavirus as most other social distancing measures were lifted last month.
It said the government had made it convincingly clear that unvaccinated people have a higher risk of a coronavirus infection and of infecting others.
Comment: It's unclear how the government managed to convince the court considering Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are ditching the dystopian mandate, declaring that life should 'return to normal'; is the science somehow different depending on which government and judges are in power?
It dismissed the claim by opponents that the rules discriminated against those unwilling or unable to be vaccinated.
"So far, it is not clear that there is a difference in treatment for which no objective, reasonable reason exists," the court said.
The government introduced the corona pass late last month, despite strong opposition in parliament, as Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it was needed to prevent a new wave of infections. Workplaces are not included in the scheme.
Comment: One junior minister that dared to call the 'pass' "illogical" - and rightly so - was promptly sacked.
New coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose 2% in the week through Tuesday, to 72 per 100,000 inhabitants, while the number of new COVID-19 patients in hospitals remained stable at the lowest level in months.
Comment: Notably, the Dutch political situation this year has been marred by scandal: "Unprecedented injustice": Dutch government quits over tax subsidy scandal
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