Fully vaccinated travelers arriving from the United States will now have to undergo 10 days of quarantine in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam designated the US a “very high-risk” nation after a surge in Omicron cases.
The US was added to the list on Thursday, alongside Afghanistan, Haiti, Jordan, Somalia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela, among others. Mandatory quarantine for American travelers was introduced on the same day.
Under restrictions implemented last week, those arriving from very high-risk countries “must self-quarantine for 10 days, even if they have proof of vaccination or proof of recovery.” The self-isolation period can be reduced if a traveler tests negative for coronavirus halfway through the quarantine. Travelers aged 12 and over will also have to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test on entry to the Netherlands.
The new restrictions are significant due to the fact that they apply to vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers alike, with some studies suggesting certain Covid-19 vaccines fare worse against Omicron than against previous strains.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, the US has recorded the most coronavirus cases and deaths worldwide, at 52 million and 800,000 respectively, according to the World Health Organization. It has also registered the most cases globally over the past seven days, at 1,600,000 – nearly three times as many as the runner-up, the UK, which had 600,000.