Dutch to lift ban on flights and ferries from UK tomorrow
The Dutch government will tomorrow lift a travel ban on commercial flights and passenger ferries from the UK, local media reported.
As with many European countries, the Netherlands banned incoming travel from Britain back in January in a bid to prevent the spread of a new, more infectious variant of Covid-19.
However, with that variant now the dominant strain in the Netherlands, the ban no longer has a purpose, the Dutch Cabinet has reportedly decided.
In reality, the lifting of the ban will have little impact on travel between the two nations.
Boris Johnson has earmarked 17 May as the earliest date from which international travel for leisure purposes can begin for the UK.
And despite the continued success of the country’s vaccine rollout, Johnson today insisted that the dates set out in his “roadmap” for lifting restrictions would not change.
As of today, more than 22m people in the UK have received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, far outstripping most European countries.
But the news is yet another sign that restrictions are slowly being relaxed across the continent.
Last week the Cypriot government said that it would open to all British citizens who had been vaccinated against Covid-19 from 1 May.
Along with fellow Mediterranean nation Greece, which also depends on tourism, Cyprus has been pushing for a loosening of travel rules so as not to lose out on another summer season.