The Netherlands’ coronavirus minister Hugo de Jonge wants to make proof of a negative coronavirus test mandatory for incoming travellers.
The test declaration should not have been issued more than 48 hours before arrival, de Jonge told the Lower House.
Such a measure would require an amendment to the law, however. As a result, de Jonge only expects the measure to come into effect early next year.
The proof could be requested from a specific group of travellers from mid-December, however. More specifically, it would concern non-European travellers who are exempt from the EU’s entry ban, according to Dutch daily Het Parool.
From mid-January, travellers will be allowed to get tested five days after arrival, having to quarantine for a shorter period of time when travelling for urgent matters.
The Netherlands registered 37,706 new cases between 10 and 17 November, according to its National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). That's a slowdown compared to the 43,621 new cases of the week before, though the decrease in cases is going more slowly than during the first wave.
The Netherlands is the ninth-most affected country in Europe according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), two spots behind Belgium.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
