Travel within Europe set to ease from June 15: Report

The Dutch government is set to reduce the level of the negative travel advisory for trips within parts of Europe so that outgoing tourist trips and family visits will be permissible from June 15, sources from the government told local media on Tuesday. The move marks a departure from the government's current recommendation that only necessary trips be made, and is reportedly part of a wider European effort to lift restrictions on tourism on the same date.

The expected easing of travel restrictions will begin three months after European countries first started securing their borders in an attempt to halt the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for Covid-19.

According to reports by RTL Nieuws and NOS, countries in the Schengen Area will go from the current 'Code Orange', meaning only necessary trips are advised to be made, to 'Code Yellow', meaning that cross-border tourism will no longer be considered ill-advised.

Some countries, however, will reportedly remain on Code Orange for a while longer. These include Denmark, which is choosing to tightly regulate inbound tourism for the time being, and the United Kingdom, where quarantine measures remain in force. Outside of Europe, the current travel restrictions will remain in force for the time being, the sources said.

Details concerning the easing of travel restrictions are expected to be announced by Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister of Health Hugo De Jonge on Wednesday.