Amsterdam and COVID - Can You Go There?

COVID-19 has caused havoc across the world for the past 16 months. It has meant government imposed restrictions, limits on our daily activities, no or limited travel and of course bought upon millions of deaths and hospitalisations. However, with the mass vaccintions that have been taking place since end of last year in many countries and a large propotion of citizens in developed nations double vaccinated, hope is on the horizon. The Summer of course in the Northern Hemisphere is for many the chance to recharge the batteries and take a short or long trip away. But, with travel advisories still in place for many countries, can you even go to the Netherlands for the purposes of tourism?

Travel can still be pain, even as guidelines for COVID-19 have lessened around the world. Many are opting to stay at home with an airo pro vape pen to avoid the hassle, vaccinations and just trying to understand what is going on in this crazy world.

The Netherlands and COVID-19 It`s fair to say that the Netherlands by and large have coped quite well with the pandemic and similar to other European countries nearby. However there have been flare ups and most recently with the decision to reopen nightclubs and lift all restrictions at the same time, caused a surge in cases again. To credit the government they quickly realised their mistake and reversed the decision to completely unlock. Does this mean you have to cancel your trip to The Netherlands this Summer? Well it all depends on where you have been and where you are travelling from. If you are travelling and haven been in a country in the last 14 days that has a similar or lower number of COVID-19 cases to Holland, then you are fine to travel with the usual PCR tests required. However, if you are coming from a country with a higher rate of COVID infections than NL you must quarantine for 10 days but this can be shortened to 5 days on test to release scheme.

As with most EU countries, expect people to still be wearing masks, hand sanitizing and keeping a safe distance from people outside their households. Holland has vaccinated about 60% of its population with double doses so its not as slow as some European countries but not as good as Spain which has a slighly percentge of its popultion double dosed. The good news is that cases seem to be going heading in the right direction recently, which is promising for restrictions to be fully lifted again.

Double dosed? If you are double vaccinated in your country and want to head to Amsterdam and visit its famous coffee shops, then definitely read up before you go. Check with your governments latest travel advice and what you will have to do when you come back. It is fair to say if you choose to go later on these Summer holidays i.e. end of August, beginning of September the liklihood of having to quarantine and/or spend lots of money on expensive PCR tests might be less, as government`s consider whether double vaccinated people need to jump through the same hoops as non-vaccinated people.

What do I do if I come back from Amsterdam and have to be drug-tested for work? If you are new at your job and recently reviewed employment documents, you should be aware if there is a chance your employer will be randomly drug testing you. You probably want to take it easy in the coffee shops with the weed, because the THC in marijuana binds to fats in your body and can show up on drug tests for a few weeks to a month or more. If you have been at your job for years and are not aware of the policies, then you may not have to worry as much and can go enjoy yourself and go crazy in Amsterdam. If the company you work for has a chance of being acquired or bought out, then there is a chance the new parent company works with a Consortium TPA or consortium third party administrator. These organizations operate the drug and alcohol testing programs for companies, and you do not want to be coming into contact with a drug testing lab after recently visiting the coffee shops of Amsterdam.

If you do decide to go to Amsterdam this Summer (could be the last one for tourists in coffee shops?), let us know how it went with photos or text!

If all of this sounds like a hassle and something you do not want to do, you can also just stay home and vacation in your place!