Covid-19: Travel advice for Greek islands escalated to code orange

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs escalated the travel advice for the Greek islands to code orange, which means that all but absolutely necessary trips to the islands are strongly discouraged. This has to do with an increase in people contracting the coronavirus while vacationing on a Greek island, the Ministry said.

The escalation takes effect on Tuesday, September 8. Everyone returning to the Netherlands from one of the Greek islands will have to quarantine at home for ten days. If you start showing symptoms that could indicate Covid-19, such as fever, shortness of breath, coughing, or a runny nose, contact health service GGD to get tested.

The travel advice for the Peloponnese peninsula and mainland Greece remains at code yellow. This means that recreational travel is allowed, but travelers must be aware of extra coronavirus rules and measures and adhere to them. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also deescalated the travel advice for the Belgian province of Antwerp from code orange to code yellow, as the coronavirus outbreak in the province seems to be under control. Code orange now only applies to the city of Antwerp. Travelers returning from the rest of the province no longer have to home quarantine when back in the Netherlands.

Netherlands residents traveling to Belgium will have to fill out a Passenger Locator From at least 48 hours before their arrival. This only applies to people who plan to be in Belgium for longer than 48 hours. Travelers from the Dutch provinces of Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, Noord-Holland, Noord-Brabant, Utrecht, Flevoland, and Limburg are advised by the Belgian authorities to get tested for the coronavirus when they arrive in Belgium and self-quarantine for 14 days.