Two planes carrying some 600 passengers from South Africa that landed in the Netherlands on Friday might have brought 85 people infected with covid to the country, Dutch health authorities said on the same day they halted flights from several southern African countries where the omicron variant is feared to have spread.
As of Friday evening, at least fifteen covid cases have been identified out of the 110 samples tested, according to a regional Dutch health agency. (Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported Saturday that 61 cases have been identified from the two flights.) The health body did not immediately return a request for comment early Saturday on whether omicron was detected among the positive samples, though it had previously said researchers were racing to make a determination.
Omicron, a mutation of the coronavirus that some scientists fear could be more transmissible than the delta variant, was labeled as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization Friday. It was first detected in the southern region of Africa, where cases have started rising again in recent days.
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Countries including the United States and Britain swiftly imposed travel restrictions on southern African countries such as Zimbabwe and Botswana, but the omicron variant has also been identified in Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport saw over 71 million passengers in 2019, making it one of the busiest and most connected travel hubs in the world.
Despite a mask mandate by Dutch airline KLM, which operated the two flights from South Africa, many passengers did not wear face coverings, said New York Times reporter Stephanie Nolen, who was aboard one of the planes. Passengers were stuck on airport tarmac for about four hours before being sent to be swabbed, tweeted Nolen, who later said she tested negative.
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Travelers who test positive for the coronavirus will be isolated at a hotel for at least five days.
What to know about the omicron variant of the coronavirus
The worries around the variant come as the Dutch government announced stricter partial lockdown measures beginning this weekend. On Thursday, the country of some 17.5 million reported a seven-day rolling average of more than 20,000 infections.
Starting Sunday, many businesses have been ordered to shut between 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., in a move that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said means the country will be “effectively closed” from the evening through the early morning.
The Dutch government was the first in Western Europe to return to partial lockdown when it announced restrictions on shops and restaurants earlier this month. Rutte said Friday his government is tightening measures now because there has been minimal change to behavior, citing traffic data.
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A dozen protesters demonstrated peacefully in The Hague following Friday’s announcement, Agence France-Presse reported. But other recent anti-lockdown rallies in the Netherlands saw what the mayor of Rotterdam called an “orgy of violence,” with protesters throwing stones and police firing warning shots.
About 74 percent of the Dutch population has been fully vaccinated and booster shots are being offered to seniors, vulnerable people and care workers.