Netherlands to lift travel restrictions to some European countries

BRUSSELS, June 4 (KUNA) -- People from the Netherlands will be able to visit 12 countries, including Germany, Belgium, Italy and Croatia as of June 15, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced.
Later, other European countries such as Spain and France will be added to list of countries, if they formally lift restrictions on tourists from the Netherlands, Dutch media Thursday quoted Rutte telling a press conference last evening at the Hague.
However, visitors from the UK and Sweden will not be welcome in the Netherlands and the UK and Sweden remain on the Dutch 'banned list' of destinations for visitors from the Netherlands because of the risk of contracting coronavirus.
"The message is, we do not want British people and Swedes here at the moment," he said. "If they do come, they will have to go into quarantine for two weeks," he said.
However, travel outside the EU will still be on the basis of essential journeys only and everyone who does so will have to go into quarantine for two weeks on their return.
"And we will not be repatriating (people who get stuck outside the EU)," Rutte explained.
"The Netherlands has chosen to give a lot of responsibility to people themselves," he said. "We have not had the police knocking on the door and we have handed out far fewer fines for breaking the 1.5 metre rule than other countries. So I really have confidence that they will continue to do this," he added. (end) nk.rk