The flight ban for passengers from South Africa and the flight and mooring ban for the United Kingdom expired on Wednesday at 00.01. The cabinet made that on Tuesday evening known. Travelers – including EU citizens – must be able to submit a recent, negative PCR corona test to be admitted to the Netherlands. The border between the UK and France is also open to freight traffic again, drivers are checked for the presence of the corona virus with a rapid test.
Once in the Netherlands, the urgent advice remains to go into home quarantine for ten days.
The measures were taken since last weekend because a new mutation of the corona virus is circulating in both the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Minister Stef Blok (Foreign Affairs) announced earlier Tuesday that the bans would come to an end. At that time it was still unclear when they would expire. Among other things, there was still a need to consult with carriers.
It will be up to the airlines and shipping companies to check passengers for the negative test statement before departure, which can be up to 72 hours old.
The border between the UK and France is also open for freight traffic again
The British and French authorities have agreed that freight traffic that currently stands still on the British side of the Channel can also enter France again, news channel reports Sky News. A precondition for this is that a quick test is conducted with the truck drivers, the result of which must be negative.
Access to France was blocked for several days for fear of the mutant virus spreading. Earlier Tuesday evening, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that French and other EU citizens in the United Kingdom will be allowed to travel to France from Wednesday, but only with a negative corona test.
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A notice to drivers near the port of Dover (Photo: ANP)
Drivers in a huge traffic jam get a quick test
Trucks are allowed back into France if the occupants have been tested negative for corona. The port is calling on drivers who have not yet undergone a test to drive to the nearby airport, where they will receive a rapid test. This does not apply to drivers who are already in a huge traffic jam on the M20. They are tested on site.
The British Army, the National Health Service (NHS) and source and contact investigation teams will set up multiple testing facilities in the southeastern Kent region as part of the British-French agreement. Around 2,800 trucks are currently still stationed there.
British Transport Minister Grant Shapps responded with relief on Tuesday evening. “We have made good progress today with the French government,” said Shapps. His ministry states that it is possible with the rapid tests to have a result within half an hour, while a PCR test takes 24 hours. The Ministry of Transport reports that the agreement will be evaluated on December 31.
The government also wants a negative test compulsory for other countries
The Netherlands introduced an entry ban for the UK on Sunday due to a new, potentially highly contagious variant of the corona virus that was diagnosed there. The entry ban also came into effect for South Africa on Monday, because the mutation was also found there.
The entry ban has left thousands of travelers stranded in the UK and South Africa. Other European countries have also imposed entry bans for the countries.
The cabinet also wants to introduce the obligation for a negative test statement for other countries as soon as possible, including Dutch nationals and citizens from other EU member states.
Thousands of coronavirus mutations have already been registered
The UK and South Africa are facing a potentially worrisome coronavirus mutation. Mutations are not rare in themselves; Thousands of mutations of the COVID-19 virus have already been recorded worldwide. Moreover, they are usually no more dangerous or substantially different from the original virus.
However, the mutations recorded in Great Britain and South Africa do appear to be of concern. It could be that these variants, which are not identical, are more contagious than the ‘Dutch’ variant. As far as is known, people are not getting sicker from it, but because an infected person may infect more people, the virus spreads faster and (even) more people end up in hospital at the same time.
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