The British newspaper “The Guardian” said that the Netherlands has refused entry to more than ten British citizens since January 1 because Britain is no longer exempt from the Corona-related restrictions on non-essential travel from outside the European Union since leaving the bloc.
A spokesman for the Dutch border force confirmed on Monday that up to 13 British citizens had been deported at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport since Friday because their flights were not necessary and Coronavirus regulations in other countries now apply.
This news came after British citizens living in Spain were prevented from boarding flights in the United Kingdom because the airline said, that their residence papers before Brexit were no longer valid, while others were prevented from entering Germany.
There have also been reports of passengers being turned away from KLM flights from UK airports to the Netherlands because they did not take a negative test, or because their flight was not necessary, or could not show proof of residency in the Netherlands or the European Union.
The newspaper pointed out that a few countries with low rates of Corona virus are exempt from European Union rules that prevent non-essential visitors from outside the bloc and the European Economic Area. The UK was removed from the list at the end of the Brexit transition period.
“They have all undergone a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, but they have forgotten the basic rule that the flight must be necessary, for example for work or due to dangerous personal circumstances,” Gendarmerie spokesman Robert Van Kapil told the public broadcaster NOS.
“People from safe countries are allowed to pass through, but the UK is definitely not a safe country at the moment,” Van Kapil said. He added that some travelers “just wanted to visit Amsterdam,” while one man was planning to travel to Spain for a snow holiday. “This is not the intention now,” Van Capel said.
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