Netherlands Bans Travel From India Until May 1
The Netherlands’ government has banned flights from India until at least May 1, after an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections registered on the latter.
However, the ban will not include cargo flights as well as flights carrying medical personnel; a statement published by the Dutch Government notes, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
The decision has been introduced by the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen upon a recommendation of Health Minister Hugo de Jonge.
“The Dutch government wants to avoid the Netherlands becoming the main entry point for passengers travelling to the European Union from India. The decision was taken in part at the urgent advice of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM),” the statement reads.
According to statistics published by Worldometers, India is the second most affected country worldwide by the Coronavirus. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has registered a total of 18,147,200 confirmed cases of infections while more than 202,020 persons have died.
The same source reveals that 14,905,982 persons have fully recovered from the disease, while there are more than 3,039,190 active cases.
The rapid upsurge in the number of COVID-19 infections has pushed other European countries’ governments to temporarily ban entry for arrivals from India.
Since March last year, when the Coronavirus pandemic started to spread worldwide, the Netherlands has registered a total of 1,481,323 cases and 17,104 deaths, becoming the 21st most affected country by the disease.
Earlier this month, Germany and Italy announced that they would not permit entry for arrivals from India in order to halt the further spread of the virus.
Authorities in Germany clarified that only German nationals and persons who hold German residence permits travelling from India would be allowed to enter Germany. Still, the flights between both countries will continue to operate, despite the COVID-19 situation in India.
Italy’s government also announced that it banned entry for travellers who have visited India in the past two weeks after estimating that the latter has recently been profoundly affected by the disease.
Authorities in Italy stressed that only Italian residents who are currently in India would be allowed to return. However, they must present a negative result of the Coronavirus test before departure and arrival and follow quarantine requirements.
Bangladesh and Maldives also banned entry for arrivals from India due to the Coronavirus situation.
