The ECDC map is the basis that EU countries use for deciding Coronavirus travel restrictions
By Thomas Ansell
Whilst those who are double-vaccinated, and have waited 14 days, can use the Dutch government’s CoronaCheck app to get across the EU without quarantine restrictions (best to check though, as rules can change quickly), those of us who are not yet double-shotted are at the mercy of travel restrictions.
Countries decide which incoming travellers have to quarantine by a number of methods, but one of the main ones used across Europe is the rating system from the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), who produce a ‘regional risk map’ every Thursday. A month ago, the Netherlands was green as could be, but thanks to the overconfident unlocking at the end of July, we are back to being the ‘sick man of Europe’.
So, to today’s ECDC map, and some slightly more positive news. Groningen, much of the south and west of the Netherlands, and some parts of northern Spain remain at the worst category, ‘dark red’, but Friesland and Drenthe are now at ‘light red’. This is due to new Coronavirus infection rates slowing a touch from their (apparent) peak two weeks ago.
However, travel restrictions still apply in some cases: if you’d like to travel to Germany, for instance, you must register your arrival with the German government, and have a recent negative test. You won’t need to quarantine when you get back, though, because Germany is green on the ECDC map and so the Dutch government doesn’t consider it a ‘high risk’ area.
A number of metrics are used to calculate the risk levels and travel restrictions, but the ECDC’s map is one of the best general starting points available.
Image via the ECDC
