Covid app puts Justice Minister in quarantine

Departing Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus of Justice and Security is quarantining at home after the CoronaMelder app notified him that he had close contact with someone who tested positive for the cornavirus, he said on Twitter.

Grapperhaus was in a debate in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, when he got the notification. He left the debate to go home and quarantine.

The departing Minister did not say who the Covid-19 patient was, but did say it was "someone with whom I have had contact from a distance". He will get tested on Wednesday, he said.

Last week Monday, departing State Secretary Mona Keijzer tested positive for the coronavirus. All cabinet members who had contact with her went to get tested later in the week. Departing Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs tested positive on Thursday.

As Ollongren was also a pathfinder in the cabinet formation process, this resulted in all party leaders getting the advice to get tested and a number of them going into quarantine.