Travelers from China will receive a free corona self-test from Wednesday when they arrive in the Netherlands at Schiphol airport. This is reported by a spokesperson for the Municipal Health Service GGD Kennemerland. The Chinese are being asked to test themselves on a voluntary basis.
Employees of the health service hand out the self-tests to passengers after arrival at the gate. Those are provided with information on how to use them in Mandarin or Cantonese. According to the spokesperson, the Chinese are not used to testing themselves. “In China you are tested.” That is why travelers are allowed to take the self-test with them to do it “in peace” at their holiday or home address. Anyone who tests positive will be urgently advised to go into isolation. The GGD cannot check whether this actually happens.
Several countries have imposed travel restrictions on travelers from China, given the large number of corona infections in the Asian country since the relaxation of the strict zero-Covid policy last month. The United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and South Korea, among others, require travelers from China to show a negative test result. Morocco even bans all travelers from China.
By starting to distribute the corona tests now, the Dutch government thinks it will be “well in time” for the celebration of the Chinese New Year later this month and the expected increase in travel from China.
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