Greece stops negative Covid test requirement for Dutch travelers; Hungary, Slovakia go orange

From today, Netherlands residents traveling to Greece no longer have to prove that they tested negative for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. Hungary and Slovakia implemented restrictions on incoming travelers, so the Ministry escalated the travel advice to those two countries to code orange, meaning that all unnecessary trips there are strongly discouraged.

People traveling to Greece still have to complete a Passenger Locator Form at least 24 hours before arrival in the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stressed that face masks are mandatory in all public areas in Greece, and people not wearing a mask can be fined 150 euros. "Always follow the local coronavirus rules," the Ministry said. A code yellow travel advice is in effect for Greece, which means that recreational trips to the country are allowed, but travelers should be aware that additional rules and regulations may be in effect due to the coronavirus crisis.

Hungary closed its borders to everyone except residents of the country as of today, September 1, the Ministry said. The travel advice for the country was therefore escalated to code orange. As this escalation does not have to do with increasing coronavirus infections, travelers returning to the Netherlands from Hungary don't have to self-quarantine at home for 10 days. "There is no higher risk of increasing coronavirus infections from this country to the Netherlands" the Ministry said.

Slovakia also implemented travel restrictions on incoming travelers. Travelers from the Netherlands who arrive in Slovakia will have to go into quarantine for 10 days. They also have to register with the Slovakian authorities. The travel advice for Slovakia was therefore also escalated to code orange. Like with Hungary, returning travelers will not have to quarantine once back in the Netherlands as the escalation had to do with local regulations and not with increasing coronavirus infections.

At the end of last week, the Dutch government also expanded the code orange warning for France. In addition to existing warnings for areas around Paris, Le Mans, Marseille, Montpellier, and Nice, a new cautionary statement was issued for regions around Bordeaux, Lyon, Orleans and Toulouse, while the orange region in the south and around Paris was expanded. The warning for France now covers 19 of the country’s 94 administrative departments.