Brits make more than two million visits to the Netherlands every year, half of whom visit Amsterdam. COVID-19 has infected 503 people in the Netherlands and killed five.
Is it safe to travel to the Netherlands?
There are currently no restrictions in place for travel to the Netherlands as a result of coronavirus and any holidaymakers returning from there won’t need to self-isolate.
The Foreign Office said: “There is an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus in China, but cases have been confirmed in other countries, including the Netherlands.
“You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the authorities.
“On March 12, the Dutch government announced new measures in response to the outbreak.
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“Anyone experiencing any symptoms linked to coronavirus must remain at home until the symptoms have cleared.
“Public events with 100 or more attendees are likely to be cancelled.
“This includes, but is not limited to, theatres, sports events and church services.
“Medically vulnerable people and older people should avoid public transport.”
Anyone in the Netherlands with a cold, a cough, a sore throat or a fever is being asked to self-isolate.
People throughout the Netherlands are encouraged to work from home or stagger their working times if possible.
Universities have been asked to offer online lectures instead of large-scale lectures while schools in the country have not been closed with children and young people not considered high-risk groups.
All football in the Netherlands has been suspended until the end of March, which means the Dutch national team have cancelled their friendly matches against the US on March 26 and Spain three days later.
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Two of the Netherlands’ top tourist attractions, the Rijksmuseum national gallery and the Van Gogh museum, closed to the public on Thursday.
Jaap van Dissel, the head of the Dutch Centre for Infectious Disease Control said the heightened precautions came at “a possible turning point” in the coronavirus epidemic.
He said difficulties in tracing the origin of the virus in cases in the southern province of Noord-Brabant, as well as some in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, made it “necessary to advise additional measures”.
He said: “So we have reached the phase in some parts of the Netherlands, especially in Brabant as has been said, in which we’re tipping from a containment phase to a mitigation phase.”
Are there still flights going to the Netherlands?
As things stand if you have plans to fly to the Netherlands in the coming weeks, your travel should be unaffected.
However, it is always worth keeping an eye on your carrier’s website for updates as the pandemic can change things from day to the next.
KLM, the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, cut 13 per cent of its long-haul capacity this month.
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