A group of advisors has urged the government to use mass testing to allow venues such as cinemas and concert halls to reopen safely.

The Denktank Coronacrisis said a traffic light system could be introduced to categorise venues as low, medium and high risk, taking into account risk factors such as ventilation, crowd size and how easily social distancing can be maintained.

In its latest advice, the organisation said fast tests should be issued free of charge to ticket holders so that they can be required to produce a negative result before entering.

They said the tests should be as accessible as possible and available both on paper and digitally. Provision should be made for people with poor literacy, non-Dutch speakers and the visually impaired.

The system also needs to be set up to ensure that people’s privacy is safeguarded.

Mariëtte Hamer, chair of the Socio-Economic Council (SER) and a member of the think tank, told Nieuwsuur that now large-scale testing was possible the government should look at ways of facilitating large-scale events where it was logistically possible.

On Sunday singer André Hazes staged a concert in the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam for 1,500 people who were tested in advance, but Hamer said it would be difficult to use rapid testing at the venue in such large numbers.

‘We need to look closely at what is and isn’t possible,’ she said. ‘We mustn’t make it yet another unnecessary instrument, but use it in high-risk situations where it can be helpful.’