Netherlands requires negative coronavirus test for travelers from China
Travelers arriving in the Netherlands from China will have to take a negative coronavirus test from next Tuesday. Health Minister Ernst Kuipers has decided to order the restrictions after other European member states have already taken similar measures. China is in the midst of a massive coronavirus outbreak after recently lifting most of its Covid-19 restrictions.
The Netherlands has also issued urgent advice to wear medical face masks on flights to and from China. Further tests of sewage at Schiphol Airport will also be carried out to monitor the situation.
Kuipers had asked the Senate of Congress, Erste Kamel, to return from recess so that the senators could urgently address legislation that would allow ministers to continue to take such measures. But the Senate unanimously ruled that Kuipers was putting pressure on senators and that expedited processing of the law should not be considered. In a letter sent, it said it would direct the Kennemarland Security Area to enact measures on behalf of Justice Minister Dylan Yesirgoz. Current law already permits the handling of such situations. Schiphol Airport is located in that security area. There are 25 such regions in the Netherlands.
Kuipers had sought advice from its Outbreak Management Team (OMT) and Social Impact Team (MIT) before announcing the restrictions. According to OMT, measures should be coordinated across Europe.
However, the population is largely believed to have built-up immunity to the Omicron variant of the virus, so it is believed to pose no additional threat to the Netherlands. Coronavirus patients are infected with some form of omicron.
MIT believes that the social impact of this measure will be limited as it does not affect freight traffic. The number of air passengers from China is also limited.
https://nltimes.nl/2023/01/06/netherlands-makes-negative-coronavirus-test-mandatory-travelers-china Netherlands requires negative coronavirus test for travelers from China