61 covid cases on South Africa flight, Dutch authorities check for Omicron variant

A total of 61 people who arrived in the Netherlands on two flights from South Africa on Friday have tested positive for the coronavirus and were in isolation on Saturday, a local health authority spokesperson has said.

Further tests are now underway to establish if any of the infected travellers have the new highly transmissible variant of Covid 19 that was first identified in South Africa earlier this week.

Two planes arrived in the Netherlands from Johannesburg and Cape Town shortly after the Dutch government, along with other nations around the world, on Friday imposed a ban on flights from southern African nations following discovery of the new omicron variant.

The Kennermerland local health authority, which is responsible for the testing and isolation operation, said in an update Saturday that the people who tested positive must quarantine for seven days if they have symptoms and five days if they are symptom free.

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The 539 travelers who tested negative were allowed to return home or continue their journeys to other countries.

Under government regulations, those who live in the Netherlands and are allowed to return home must self-isolate for at least five days.