Thousands still stuck abroad, trying to return to NL
Around 7,000 Dutch citizens and residents remain abroad in multiple countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok confirmed on Wednesday.
In a meeting with travel association ANWB, Blok described the those in foreign lands as being a "very mixed group". According to him, they are made up of some who want to return to the Netherlands, others who do not, and others still who are suspected to have already returned to the Netherlands under the radar.
Weeks ago the Ministry of Foreign Affairs deployed a website on which travelers could report themselves as not having the option to return home to the Netherlands. According to the Telegraaf, some 25,000 people filed reports on the website, of whom around 7,000 still remain abroad. Many of these people, approximately 2,000, are in Morocco.
Earlier this week, around 300 Dutch citizens were repatriated from Morocco to the Netherlands after their flight arrived at Schiphol Airport on Monday morning—a move which Blok described as making him "hopeful".
