Dutch government asked to ban travel to coronavirus hotspots

The House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) is asking the Dutch government to implement a policy that would prevent travel from the Netherlands to countries with high coronavirus infection rates.

Dutch travel ban

Politicians from parties GroenLinks and D66 have asked the government to implement stricter policies and guidance, as currently there is nothing stopping people travelling from the Netherlands to countries with high infection rates. Politicians feel the advice to only travel (by plane) when it is essential is not strict enough in deterring holiday makers. 

Jan Paternotte (D66) said he, together with Suzanne Kröger (GroenLinks), was hoping for legislation that would prevent unnecessary trips to coronavirus hotspots. This call has received majority support in the Tweede Kamer.

Paternotte cites the Belgium system as an example of what could work here. In Belgium, a written statement is required to confirm that travel to a hotspot is absolutely necessary.

Code orange 

The government already has a colour coded system in place to advise against travel to certain countries. This system has always existed, however it is currently mostly used for guidance when travelling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Travel advice for Turkey, for instance, is currently a code orange. However this guidance did not prevent travel company Corendon from announcing that it will offer flights to Turkey, starting from next week. 

The government recently adjusted the advice for Portuguese cities Lisbon and Porto, raising them from code yellow to code orange, as both cities are experiencing rising numbers of coronavirus infections. 

Foreign Minister Stef Blok said that, at the moment, there is a certain level of responsibility when it comes to travel. He stressed that it is vital that people self-isolate at home for 14 days when they return from their trip, and immediately contact the GGD if they start showing symptoms.