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Amsterdam fears dozens of Covid infections on flights from Omicron hotspots Dozens of travelers from Omicron hotspot Covid-positive on arrival in EU
(about 4 hours later)
As growing fears of the Omicron variant triggered a travel ban, 15 of the 110 arrivals from South Africa tested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport tested positive for Covid-19. Another 500 from two flights still need to be tested. As growing fears of the Omicron variant trigger global travel bans, at least 61 of the 600 arrivals from South Africa tested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport have turned out to be positive for Covid-19.
The Dutch government on Friday imposed a ban on arrivals from South Africa and several other neighboring countries, citing the fears of a new and reportedly more contagious coronavirus variant. More than 600 people on two flights were already en route to Schiphol, however, and special testing sites were set up to deal with them. On Friday, the Dutch government imposed a ban on arrivals from South Africa and several other neighboring countries, citing fears of a new and reportedly more contagious coronavirus variant.
Of the 110 passengers tested so far, 15 have tested positive for Covid-19, Dutch outlet NOS reported on Friday evening.  More than 600 people on two flights were already en route to Schiphol when the decision was made, and special testing sites were set up at the airport to deal with them.
Based on those results, public health officials expect a 13.6% positive rate on both flights, or about 85 passengers, the outlet added. However, it was unknown which variant of the virus the test detected. Initial testing late on Friday revealed that there were 15 coronavirus cases among the arrivals, but by Saturday, the number of infected had grown to 61, the Dutch health authorities said in a statement, adding that they were continuing to obtain samples from the travelers.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus – first detected in Botswana – as a new variant of concern and dubbed it ‘Omicron’. Though the WHO cautioned against travel bans, a number of governments – including the EU, US, and Russia – have since restricted entry to nationals of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. “Of the positive test results, we are researching as quickly as possible whether they are the new variant of concern, now named ‘Omicron’,” the statement read.
Schiphol was Europe’s third-busiest airport prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, handling 71.7 million passengers in 2019. Passengers from the two South African flights who tested negative will be allowed to leave, but must quarantine for another five days, the Dutch authorities said. Those who tested positive will be transferred to a nearby quarantine hotel. Meanwhile, passengers on KLM flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg have been complaining that they were obliged to remain on board the aircraft for hours while the testing went on.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus, which was first detected in Botswana, to be a new variant of concern. Though the WHO cautioned against the imposition of travel bans, a number of governments – including those of the EU, the US, and Russia – have placed restrictions on travelers arriving from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Schiphol was Europe’s third-busiest airport prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, handling 71.7 million passengers in 2019. Passengers from the two flights from South Africa who tested negative will be allowed to leave but must quarantine for five days, the Dutch authorities said. Those who tested positive will be transferred to a quarantine hotel.
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