Everyone who wants to travel to the Netherlands from an area considered to be risky will still have to show a negative PCR and fast test result before travelling, appeal court judges in The Hague said on Tuesday.

Anti-coronavirus rule group Viruswaarheid had gone to court to have the requirement scrapped, in particular for Dutch nationals. A lower court also ruled against the campaigners.

The case was brought on behalf of a woman who traveled to Israel on family business at the end of last year. While she was away, compulsory testing was introduced but she refused to have one, citing the medical experiments her family had undergone in concentration camps in World War II.

The court rejected the case, pointing out that the constitution gives the government the right to take measures to protect public health.

Meanwhile, more details are emerging about the European coronavirus travel certificate which is currently being worked on. It now seems that one dose of the vaccine will be enough to allow people to travel freely within the EU, broadcaster NOS said, quoting EU sources.

Free

However, no agreement has yet been reached on whether compulsory PCR tests for people who have not been vaccinated should be free or not.

The European parliament has called for free tests, so that people who cannot have a vaccine or object to vaccinations on ideological grounds are not disadvantaged financially.

But several member states, including the Netherlands, are opposed to this. Sources now suggest that the EU may draw up guidelines for test pricing instead, given the current wide variations between countries.