👋 Goodbye and good riddance! While COVID-19 still exists, cases in the Netherlands have dropped significantly. On June 16, 2023, the Dutch government downgraded COVID-19 from A-Status. This removed the obligation to report infections and stops the possibility of introducing legal restrictions to control the spread. As a result, as of June 22, 2023, this article is no longer updated daily, weekly, or monthly — and we couldn’t be happier. Stay vaccinated, kids!
Coronavirus, while milder than before, continues its presence in the Netherlands.
The Dutch government has taken huge steps toward returning society in the Netherlands to its pre-pandemic state.
However, the restrictions and measures in the Netherlands are constantly changing. Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus in the Netherlands below.
- ⛔️ Current coronavirus restrictions in the Netherlands
- 💉 Vaccinations & booster shots against coronavirus in the Netherlands
- 🧪 How to get a coronavirus test in the Netherlands
- 🛫 Travelling to the Netherlands during the coronavirus
- 🧼 What can I do to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands?
- ❓ Where can I find more information about COVID-19 from the officials?
⛔️ Current coronavirus restrictions in the Netherlands
🏡 At home, work, and outside
- Workers can return to work in the office full-time.
- There are no longer restrictions on how many people you can invite into your home.
- Outside, there are no restrictions on group sizes.
🛒 Shopping
- Non-essential stores are allowed to be open, and no longer face any restrictions on opening times.
☕️ Cafés, bars, and restaurants
- HORECA (cafés, bars, and restaurants) will no longer face any restrictions on opening times.
- Clubs and nightlife have been allowed to open again.
💇♂️ Non-medical contact workers (hairdressers, etc.)
- Hairdressers, nail salons, physiotherapists, and other non-medical contact professionals are allowed to operate.
- There is no official requirement to wear a mask, but individual establishments may have their own rules.
🎭 Culture
- Cinemas, theatres, and theme parks are open.
- Music and drama lessons are allowed.
🏋️♀️ Sports
- Gyms are open.
- Indoor and outdoor sports clubs are open.
📚 Education
- All schools (primary, secondary, trade, and university) are allowed to reopen.
- There are no longer any restrictions regarding in-person teaching.
😷 Masks
- As of December 21 2021, wearing a face mask isn’t required in the Netherlands, even on public transport.
🙌 General measures
- Face masks are no longer required on public transport.
- The isolation advice after a positive coronavirus test is shortened to five days, given that you’ve gone 25 hours without symptoms.
- The QR code (coronavirus toegangsbewijs) has disappeared from February 25, 2022.
- Since March 23, 2022, all coronavirus measures have been abandoned by the Dutch government and are only considered “advice”.
👩⚖️ Municipal measures
- In addition to the national measures in place, municipalities can also implement their own measures.
💉 Vaccinations & booster shots against coronavirus in the Netherlands
| Age | One-shot | Fully-vaccinated | Boosted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 12 years old | – | 80.2% | 59.4% |
| Over 18 years old | – | 82.2% | 65.0% |
How to get vaccinated in the Netherlands
Everyone over the age of 12 is allowed to be vaccinated in the Netherlands.
Vaccinations are given at the GGD (Municipal Health Service) walk-in centres or by calling 0800 7070.
How to get a booster shot in the Netherlands
Booster shots are available to everyone who is aged 12 and older who had their last vaccination or tested positive for coronavirus at least three months ago.
You can make a booster appointment online using your DigiD. Alternatively, you can call 0800 7070 or see if there is a walk-in clinic near you.
🧪 How to get a coronavirus test in the Netherlands
Testing is an important aspect of the Dutch approach to coronavirus.
Testing if you have symptoms
In March of 2023, the Dutch government decided to close down all GGD testing facilities.
From March 17, people who need a test or proof of recovery (to travel to countries that require one, for example) will have to go to private testing facilities in order to do so.
All costs will have to be covered by yourself.
TIP: If you’re on holiday in the Netherlands and develop symptoms, you can also receive a test. You can find a commercial test centre online.
It typically takes up to 48 hours to receive your test results.
Testing if you have been a close-contact of someone with coronavirus
In March 2023, the Cabinet decided that self-tests are no longer required and you no longer need to stay at home if you have any symptoms.
If you still wish to take a PCR test after having been in contact with someone with coronavirus, you can visit a private testing facility.
READ MORE | Your top 10 coronavirus testing questions in the Netherlands, answered
Using rapid self-tests in the Netherlands
Though self-tests are no longer required, they remain available from Dutch pharmacies and supermarkets. They’re affordable, at less than €5 each.
If you’re a student at a Dutch university, you may also be able to order free self-tests.
In most testing kits, there are printed English instructions available.
🛫 Travelling to the Netherlands during the coronavirus
Travelling to the Netherlands is open for most people, with few restrictions in place.
For full information on travelling to the Netherlands during the coronavirus, refer to the Dutch government website.
🧼 What can I do to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands?
It’s not just up to the government: we all need to do our share to slow the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands. Here are some tips for how you can help out:
- download the CoronaMelder app to assist in contact tracing.
- avoid crowded areas,
- keep a safe distance from other people and when outside,
- avoid touching your face, especially the T-area where your nose and eyes are.
- if coughing or sneezing, do so in your elbows,
- avoid handshakes and kissing people three times on the cheeks.
❓ Where can I find more information about COVID-19 from the officials?
The official source for information on coronavirus in the Netherlands is RIVM (Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment).
This article is also constantly updated with the most current information (go ahead, bookmark it! 😉)
Follow DutchReview on Facebook for more information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.
Fantastic idea!!! I will keep sharing this.
According to several respected sites (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/netherlands/, https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3exv1Ep6vsgSOqwNu7Y1DVM4aT0SXL02ZLje0eIModx5LSTockb7xpDyM#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6) which get their information directly from the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health
and the Environment, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport), the rate of recovery in the Netherlands is far lower than any other country. While I have heard that this is due to the Dutch reporting methods, it still does not explain this: Cases which had an outcome: 437; Recovered: 3; Deaths: 434. Are we really experiencing a 99% death rate for this virus?
‘Outcome’ presumably refers to either death or recovery. In other words, there are many people infected who have not yet ‘made it out’ either way. But the great majority will recover. That seems to be the difference in the reporting method.
I follow the same site and I’ve been wondering something similar since almost 3 weeks ago and that is the difference in cases vs mortality in NL compared to Belgium and Germany. I also asked in Quora NL about it (https://nl.quora.com/Hoe-komt-dat-de-sterftekans-in-Nederland-percentage-wise-veel-hoger-ligt-dan-buurlanden-Duitsland-en-Belgi%C3%AB-Heeft-dat-mee-te-maken-met-de-kwaliteit-van-de-gezondheidszorg-in-NL-of-er-zijn-andere-redenen).
Nowadays, if you want to talk about it percentage-wise, it comes down to amount of testing and ICU beds (Germany has 29.2 per 100.000 inhabitants and the Netherlands only 6.4) and GE still tests as much as possible and NL, already for almost 2 weeks, mainly the very sick and very old. Also, to my knowledge -I’ve lived in this country for 31 years), the healthcare system here is subpar to Germany and Belgium (I’ve chosen from the beginning to compare NL to its neighbours since there should be more similarities than discrepancies, you would think). Two times I have had to go back to my own country (Chile) for testing and treatment since my own experience here is that they are behind not only in knowledge about medicine but also equipment.
And what I read recently about doctors thinking about asking older corona patients if they want care in a hospital or at home…that’s basically asking them if they rather stay home and just die since they are old and ill. They do stretch the meaning of palliative care in this country, I saw this with my father in law couple years ago. They were very eager to put him out of misery instead of trying treatment, he was not even 80.
So…now trying to answer your questions. They don’t really track the people that recover, but that’s sloppy if people have been treated in a hospital (don’t they keep track of the people discharged?). The ratio cases/deaths is high due to minimal testing and testing only critical cases (leaving aside hospital staff). But on the other hand GE has almost 84 million people, NL little over 17 million. GE has 433 deaths at this moment, NL has 639….think about that.
Interesting analysis! Thanks
If the measures do not have a statistically significant effect they should be abandoned. Where do we see the related analysis?
I do not think keeping takeaway shops open is such a good idea, netherlands is one of the countries with quite a few deaths, even though its not as bad as italy or spain, it can get out of control really quickly.
In fact during the next weeks you´ll see the big expansion of Corono Virus in the Netherlands. It´s a question of time. Soon I will eat my shit words about European Southern countries.
I must be the unluckiest person in the Netherlands because in my neighbourhood not even 10% of Dutch people keep the official 1.5 m safe distance. The aforementioned 99% sounds like a joke (or a dream, it depends on the point of view). Dutch people are unaware of the situation. I keep seeing groups gathering, birthday celebrations with more than 10 children together and the corresponding number of parents… I guess this is a government’s trick to clean up the economy by eliminating the elderly.
Unlike Dani’s comment. I feel that the Dutch People are keeping there distance here in Soesterberg in the Netherlands. Although very young children have been seen playing together in neighborhood playgrounds, this seems to have been rectified.
We have to keep business going with a mitigated risk as well as isolating those who are subject to heightened mortality! The problem with the UK and America is that they just don’t have the Medical resources to cope with the onslaught. The Netherlands is nearing capacity, but thing are no were near exponentially increasing and it’s become more linear in the last few days.
So we don’t need to be so critical of the Netherlands, they are rule breaker (Just don’t be rule breaker i there society 😉 ) and they are well educated in statistics and science!
Hello everyone, i lived and worked in De Netherlands for over 10 years but now live back in the uk. I have a very special place in my heart for the Dutch people. Anyway I will get back to what I want to say about covid-19 this horrible virus.I have read all your comments and find that everyone around the world all have one thing in common, we all wish this virus would stop killing our people and find a cure so we can all get back to normal every day life !! What really makes me so angry is that all the governments around the world think about getting the economy up and running, why do they put money before our people’s lives!!! If we are are going to get this horrible virus under control we must forget about making money!!! We cannot try to balance money and control the virus together at the same time. We have to deal with the virus first then when we have the virus under control,no matter how long it takes even if it is 2,3,4 years then start our economies. The world leaders are so selfish. People’s lives first Economy last.if you read this please think about all the people who have lost their lives to covid-19 and please try to help others to stay safe and support them through these difficult times.
PEOPLE ARE GREEDY ,MONEY FIRST PERIOD
Recoveries are there, but they are not centrally registered and therefore not reported. Individual hospitals do however and they report them, mostly daily to personnel. Hotspot Amphia hospital in Breda reported at a certain day cumulative 34 corona deaths and 109 recovered. So that is better.
As far as Germany goes, they choose for much wider testing, so had many more cases reported, but also many with few symptoms. As Germans are very good at registering they reported also the very many recoveries of light cases. As Ge now has many more more severe cases, their number of deaths has now overtaken that of the Netherlands. In time their numbers will increass more, reflecting the size of their bigger population.
Last factor, coronadeaths where corona was not tested do not count as corona deaths. Statistical analysis of deaths in march till now suggest a doubling of reported corona deaths is likely.
What sort of lockdown are we in!!
Live in Enschede where you can still go clothes shopping, shoe shopping, even underwear shopping and plenty more
They pass you a wipe from a cheap pack
Where the shops are full of people
Even Germans. (Lockdown)
They even set up the small market stall yesterday fml
Dutch are not on no lockdown…
one thing thou. 3 people or more in the car you get slapped with a 400 euro fine
Says it all about what the Dutch government is doing ( all about the money)
I live in Koudekerk aan den Rijn (near Leiden). I phoned the doctor 3 weeks and 2 days ago. The bottom line was: “No fever, no dangerously short breath… no appointment, no test”.
I went through hell since then. Strange that I never had a fever, but the list of symptoms was/is as follows: Chills (like a fever, but not a fever), Sore throat comes and goes, Dry cough (but not a constant cough), Severe muscle/joint pains (and what felt for like deep abdomen and lung pain for almost 3 weeks), Dizziness, and of course very weak.
Never more than 2 symptoms at one time; most all symptoms have passed except for the severe muscle/joint pain the past 4 days. Barely a cough now. Improvement every day for the past 3 days. I am told it is possible once this pain goes away I may be in the clear.
My point is not to complain about my experience — but to say this: If I was not allowed to see the doctor, and not allowed to be tested… then the statistics must be way off the mark! There must be literally THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE UNACCOUNTED FOR AND SIMPLY STAYED HOME AND SUFFERED THROUGH IT. Hopefully surviving it.
But not being allowed the opportunity to be tested not only seems like a senseless health risk… but grossly unfair to those of us isolated from our families, especially the children. How many were not positive for Covid-19 yet were/are separated from their loved ones??
You don’t seem like a healthy person. Maybe you should stay home?
Article keeps using some statistics but it really doesn’t seem to match reality. There are people drinking wine together in groups on canals and parties held between neighbours. When I once saw a police van going past a group of 8 students sitting together at one big table I thought they were all going to be fined. Instead, the police didn’t even slow down.
This situation is just an opportunity for the Dutch government to kill off those whose financial input is already done. My friend’s 70y.o. father who was in hospital and had signed a form asking to be resuscitated, the next day received a call from his own GP informing the family that with all in mind, he overruled that signature..
This is not a country of compassion but paracetamol induced incredible indifference.
I couldn’t agree more. I have to add, that even allowing fewer people in the supermarkets is not the solution. The most dangerous people are the supermarket employees. Yes, they wear a nice t-shirt that says “keep a 1.5 m distance”, but they are the first that walk close to customers all the time. In conclusion, Dutch people are terrible at following rules or they just think that 30-40 cm is 1.5 m. The only solution is a better upbringing, but that takes years.
Well said 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Why have the Dutch stopped reporting their “Recovered” data?
Probably the most important metric.
I seem to think that this was was reported daily until recently.
Why the change?
This country has a much higher death rate than most other countries, even those with a lesser developed health system. Why is it so bad??
This is for a lot of reasons
– there is more elderly in netherlands than less developed countries
– not all countries report accurate data
– developed countries have more tests per capita
– different countries have different death parameters like if you are in the US if you die due to a brain injury and you happen to test positive for covid. They would call it a covid death.
Are the international flights affected?
Thanx
I have plan to study abroad in the Netherlands at September, so I’m really worried about the Covid-19 pandemic. May everyone tell me about Holland’s situation right now ??? That help me so much , thanks you !!!
Holland can’t get their shit together. They are one of the slowest to react and take measures and now the slowest to recover. It’s not a nice situation here in Holland. In my opinion the government was so occupied by their scandals that they didn’t take care of its people. And the medical system here is shameful for a developed country in the European Union. I don’t think you will get Corona virus if hats what you are afraid of- but you won’t have a very enjoyable semester abroad due to most things closed, universities only attending one day a week etc. the beauty of studying abroad is to experience the place for what it is, language, culture and customs. You will not be experiencing that here at this time. People are cranky, closed off and not interested in outsiders.
NETHERLANDS…THE MOST SELFISH COUNTRY IN EUROPE
Ha ha ha! How come?
Hello everyone,
How is situation currently? As I am informed, measures are relaxed, except transport wearing mask is not mandatory. Businesses has started to gather employees into offices.
It seems like covid19 free zone? Is it safe, is process for treating covid19 infected people good – fast – effective ?
Nee, het is is niet veilig, ik weet niet of in het Engels of Nederlands te schrijven —— eidereen doet zo in Engels zo daT MOET HET ZIJN. I gather that you must pay for a lateral flow test in the Netherlandsuntil a few months ago thy were free in the Uk, you got them free from the chemist. Even though the Dutch don’t have as many cases as the UK I would warn them of being too liberal about thinking its all over. It is not look at the poor record of the UK, just crazy, few measures in place to prevent spread of the virus. So, its up to your personal choice whether or not to wear a mask but if i see someone not wearing one I keep well away and there are plenty not earing them. The UK government has been lack lustre in its response and just think if people have been vaccinated they won’t die, well they will and plenty have and still will. Will anything ever be the same again.
Thanks Greg! As you wrote, it’s up to personal choice whether you wear mask. 🙂
You mention under Current Measures in Effect, at the beginning of this article: Face Masks are still mandatory. However, as far as I know, there is no such thing as aircrafts. The noun “aircraft” is always singular. It can be used in both the singular and pleural form.
Who cares whether the word “aircraft” is always pleural? Nobody is perfect, not you, who does not know how to spell the word “pleural” properly. It is spelled PLURAL. The is no letter “e” in the word!!!
Agreed! 😂😂😂
I have a planned study abroad at The Hague beginning Feb 1, 2021, coming from U.S. What is the current status of the covid lock down? Is it advisable to skip this study abroad opportunity due to expected covid lockdowns? Any comments appreciated.
How can one “make an appointment online” for a booster shot when the link is a 1020 server error all the time. I think a new article on how the booster appointment system is broken would be a great idea!!! Sadly, the system doesn’t work.
Hi Bob, 👋
Thank you for reaching out! We just checked the link (https://coronatest.nl/) and it’s working on our end. It might not work if you’re trying to access it from out the Netherlands however.
Dear moderator, where is my comment with a quote from this very article? Edited the article to censor your own words? This website is a joke afraid to be taken down for telling the truth. I’m out.
Take your weirdness elsewhere M!