What does the current situation in China mean for the Netherlands?

From the 24th of February, the measures previously taken for travelers from China will expire. Travelers no longer need to have a negative test certificate before boarding the plane to the Netherlands. The other measures, such as the mouth mask advice, monitoring the waste water from flights from China and handing out the self-tests with instructions at Schiphol, will also be cancelled. The RIVM continues to monitor the sewage water around Schiphol in order to be able to quickly detect possible deviations in the virus and thus new variants.

What is the reason for the expiry of the measures?

Now the European member states have agreed that the package of measures is no longer necessary:

- Given the current epidemiological situation in both China and the EU.

- Because China has been sharing information about the COVID-19 situation in the country since the beginning of January 2023.

- Because new variants of the virus have not materialized.

- The dominant strain in China is omikron, just like in the Netherlands. We are well protected against this, thanks to built-up immunity.