Netherlands and Indonesia ease Covid entry rules
Visitors to the Netherlands will no longer have to provide evidence of vaccination, a negative test, or a recent recovery from tomorrow, as Indonesia eases its quarantine requirements
The government of the Netherlands has announced that inbound travellers to the country will no longer be required to present a proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative Covid test upon entry from 23 March.
The change will apply to all travellers regardless of their country of origin, including all non-European Union (EU) nations.
In addition, the Dutch Minister of Health, Ernst Kuipers confirmed that all remaining domestic Covid-19 restrictions will also be dropped from the same date, including mandatory mask wearing on public transport, as well as all obligations to take a Covid test before visiting public events.
The government confirmed that the decision was made after a close evaluation of the current coronavirus situation concluded that the virus no longer causes serious health implications in most cases, with most current coronavirus cases now dominated by the virulent but mild Omicron variant.
However, the government has advised that while all remaining measures will be dropped, individuals should continue to maintain high standards of hygiene and receive a booster shot if they have not already.
Indonesia to remove quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers
The government of Indonesia has also removed all quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated new arrivals to the country, following improvements to its own Covid situation.
The decision, effective immediately, follows the successful implementation of a two-week trial quarantine waiver for vaccinated visitors from the islands of Bali, Batam and Bintan, as well as a 90 per cent decline in daily coronavirus infections from its peak in mid-February.
Travellers to the country, regardless of vaccination status, will still be required to provide a negative coronavirus test result before entry, however.
"With the handling of the pandemic more controlled...today we announce that the policy of no quarantine has been expanded across Indonesia," said Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno.
It follows similar moves by neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, which have also waived their quarantine requirements to support the recovery of their flagging tourism sectors.