Big changes! Mandatory quarantine replaces flight ban from very high-risk countries as of today

Previously, the Dutch government strongly advised people to quarantine when entering the Netherlands from abroad. From today, quarantining becomes mandatory — and subject to a fine if broken.

When arriving in the Netherlands from a “very high-risk area,” you have to quarantine for ten days regardless of how you traveled here. However, you can take a test on the fifth day of isolating. If it comes back negative, you are allowed to end your quarantine period — hoera!

Which countries are affected by the quarantine requirement?

The mandatory quarantine only applies to the following list of countries, all of which are categorized as “very high-risk areas” by the Dutch government.

Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, India, Lithuania, Maldives, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname, Sweden, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The quarantine requirement replaces the flight ban on flights from India, South Africa, and various South American countries. As of today, no more flight bans apply in the Netherlands.

Note that the quarantine requirement is independent of the colour codes for travel advice. While many of the above countries are classified as orange, quarantining is not required for all countries with an orange travel advisory.

Required documents

To enter the Netherlands from any of the very high-risk areas, you will need to bring a printed, completed, and signed quarantine declaration. It is also necessary to have a negative coronavirus test (a rapid test is not valid) — this requirement still applies to all travellers coming from countries that are not on the list of safe countries with a low risk of COVID-19.

If you are transferring through a very high-risk area when travelling to the Netherlands and you’ve spent more than 12 hours in that area, you also have to quarantine. If you spend less than 12 hours in transfer, the mandatory quarane does not apply — however, you still have to bring a quarantine declaration.

Fine for breaking quarantine

The government means business, which means there are checks on both your quarantine declaration and on whether you stick to the mandatory quarantine. At any point in your journey, you must be able to show your quarantine declaration or you risk getting a fine of €95.

Government officials or public servants with investigative powers, such as BOAs (Municipal enforcement officers) are being employed to check up on whether people adhere to the quarantine requirement.

They can show up at the address you provided on the quarantine declaration or simply call you. People who are supposed to be quarantining and do not open the door or answer the phone can be fined €339. 😱

What are your thoughts on mandatory quarantine? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: Tasfoto/Deposit Photos

Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
Christine Stein Hededam 🇩🇰
A Dane with a special place in her heart for Minnesota, Christine is now falling in love with everything Dutch. Between finishing her bachelor’s degree, learning Dutch, and doing yoga teacher training, you will find her wandering about the Hague. Always up for visiting new places, she loves to explore the Netherlands with friends and takes pride in scoping out cute cafés (wherein to discuss books, big plans, and food).

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