800 people claimed they were 'COVID-free' or vaccinated for a dance party in the Netherlands. Now 180 people have tested positive.
Advertisement
Mia Jankowicz
Jul 6, 2021, 20:19 IST
Visitors have a drink on a terrasse of a cafe in Amsterdam on June 25, 2021. The bar pictured is not related to the story.
Paul Bergen/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
A Dutch party is emerging as a superspreader event after 180 attendees tested positive for COVID-19.
Partygoers were required to demonstrate they were uninfected or vaccinated to get a ticket.
The event appears to show potential flaws in reopening measures.
Advertisement
A self-styled "COVID-free" party in the Netherlands, which was attended by 800 people, has been connected to 180 infections from the virus, according to multiple reports.
The reopening party of Aspen Valley bar in Enschede, in the eastern Netherlands, on June 26 required a "corona admission ticket," which were presold once partygoers had confirmed their status as either vaccinated or uninfected.
The event has exposed potential flaws in Dutch measures for reopening nightlife safely, and highlights the difficulty and risks that come with reopening events around the world.
"Prepare carefully and read through all the rules carefully to avoid disappointment," a Facebook flier for the event read. "This is how we help each other to finally make it a great party again!"
An unnamed local official speaking to Dutch TV network RTL Nieuws acknowledged rumors that "the club concerned has not adhered to all the measures," without specifying what they were.
The official also noted that the partygoers could have shared QR codes showing a negative test between themselves.
Aspen Valley did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but the bar's owner, Tommy de Groot, told RTV Oost: "We really did everything we could to arrange everything properly and then this happens to you."
The bar has been closed for the foreseeable future, the channel reported.
{{}}
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine is less effective at preventing Delta infections than other variants, but still protects against severe illness, preliminary Israeli study says
Israel may have to reimpose COVID-19 restrictions this week as the Delta variant drives a rise in new cases
Handshakes will return quickly post-pandemic - a neuroscientist explains why