THE HAGUE - The Dutch government has spared the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of a new economic disaster by tightening the measures to keep the omicron variant in check.
The Outbreak Management Team (OMT) appears to have advised the cabinet, in addition to the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Rutte on Saturday evening, to give the Dutch an "urgent advice not to travel for holiday purposes, as applied in December 2020 and January." 2021.”
The cabinet, it became clear during the press conference, does not want to go further than to urge travelers to comply with the rules that apply at the holiday destination. Last year, the government followed the OMT to issue a negative travel advice, which hit the economies of Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba hard. It was not explained why this time the advice of the OMT was deviated from.
During the winter season, the islands receive more Dutch tourists than before the corona pandemic and the hotels and other accommodations are fully booked in the weeks around Christmas.
Bonaire tightens entry conditions
Bonaire has tightened up the entry conditions. All travelers aged 12 years and older from the Netherlands and other (very) high-risk countries must take a PCR test within forty-eight hours before departure from Wednesday 22 December. Upon arrival, they receive a free self-test with which they must test themselves the same day in their holiday accommodation. If the result is positive, they must go into isolation and make an appointment with the Public Health Department for a PCR test. On the 5th day after arrival, all travelers from (very) high-risk countries, which also include the Netherlands, must have a PCR test performed at their own expense at a commercial testing company. Unvaccinated travelers are required to self-quarantine for five days, after which they undergo a PCR test at a commercial testing company at their own expense. Bonaire hopes in this way to delay the arrival of the omicron variant.