AMSTERDAM, Nov 26, Reuters - About a dozen passengers arriving in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa on Friday faced hours of delays and testing due to concerns over a newly detected variant of the coronaviruses.
The Dutch government imposed a ban on all air travel from southern Africa on Friday. Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said passengers already in the air would have to undergo testing and quarantine upon arrival.
Passengers on the two KLM flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg said they had been waiting on the tarmac for hours.
The New York Times journalist Stephanie Nolen, a passenger on the flight from Johannesburg, tweeted that there is a BUS that has come to take us somewhere.
Bus to a hall to a huge queue. I can see COVID testers in bright blue PPE far on the distance. She added in a second tweet that there was no snacks for the sad babies.
The airport said that passengers are currently being transferred to a secure location at Schiphol.
It took some time because everything is done carefully. Passengers are provided with food and drinks. They will be tested for the coronaviruses. Only passengers who test positive for COVID 19 will be forced to quarantine, according to local health authorities. Results from the tests are expected to be released later on Friday.
The Dutch government is expected to announce new restrictions later on Friday, including the nighttime closure of bars, restaurants and most stores, as it struggles with a record-breaking wave of COVID 19 cases that are swamping its healthcare system.