The Netherlands Backtracks On Quarantine Requirement For Vaccinated Americans

UPDATE: The Netherlands has backtracked on a new quarantine quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers from high-risk countries, including the United States. Effective September 22, 2021, fully vaccinated travelers will be allowed to enter the Netherlands without quarantine.

Live and Let’s Fly originally reported that the quarantine requirement would not be strictly enforced and from accounts on the ground, that did appear to be the case for those who entered Dutch territory. The original story is below.

As vaccinated American citizens face new entry restrictions into the Netherlands, two insiders tell Live and Let’s Fly the mandatory quarantine policy will not be enforced.

Netherlands Quarantine Requirement Relies On Honor System

The United States is moving into a “very high-risk” category in the Netherlands on Sunday, September 5th, which will include a:

• Ban on unvaccinated travelers who have been in America the last 14 days
• 10-day quarantine for vaccinated travelers
  • may be shortened to five days after negative test on fifth test
  • exceptions apply, including for transit and work
• Negative COVID-19 entry test requirement (starting September 6th)
  • PCR or antigen
  • Less than 72 hours old
  • children six and under are exempt

The new rules do not include Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.

Passengers checking in for their flight will also need to provide a quarantine declaration to the airline.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Two sources have told Live and Let’s Fly that there will be no follow-up or enforcement mechanism for the new travel restrictions. None.

You’ll provide airlines with an address where you quarantine and never hear from anyone again.

Another points out that land borders with countries like France and Germany, which do not impose similar restrictions on vaccinated American travelers, will remain open and unmanned. Entering via train or car from another country in Western Europe will result in an even lower level of scrutiny as no form will even be collected.

To be very clear, I am not advocating you go to the Netherlands and break Dutch COVID-19 protocol. Quite the contrary, I do not think the honor system should be abused and point out the Kingdom of the Netherlands is free to enact the sort of regulations it sees fit.

But I do point out, for what it is worth, that there likely will not be enforcement of the new quarantine requirement in any practical way.

CONCLUSION

The Netherlands is adding quarantine restrictions for Americans starting tomorrow. While you can and should respect them as a guest there, it nevertheless strikes me as interesting there will likely be no actual enforcement of the new COVID-19 measures once inside the country.