The Hawk – Health, Welfare and Sports Minister Hugo de Jong has submitted a request to the lower house to cancel the test duty for ferry drivers traveling by ferry from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands.
Truck drivers who stay in a high-risk area for more than 48 hours and travel by boat to the Netherlands currently have a (quick) test duty. In practice, this duty only applies to truck drivers belonging to the United Kingdom and was introduced at the time due to the British virus mutation.
For all other countries, the Netherlands applies the European Convention on Green Routes, which imposes no test duty or other restrictions on transit workers crossing the border.
RIVM’s advice shows that event values in the UK have fallen sharply. This justifies the cancellation of the test duty for truck drivers.
France and Belgium have previously abolished test duty for UK truck drivers. By abandoning the test duty on the Dutch side, a level playing field at the European level will be ensured and diversions will be avoided. For all other travelers traveling from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, the current measures are currently in effect.
Minister Hugo de Jong, Minister Gropperhouse and Minister Olongren called for the move to be scrapped. The House of Representatives has yet to agree on this.
