On Tuesday, 15 March 2022, the Dutch Government announced that it would be further easing back on the COVID-19 measures in place (see here). This loosening of the restrictions entails, among other things, from Wednesday 23 March a face mask is no longer required on public transport, that an Admittance Test is no longer required for locations with a capacity of more than 500 visitors, and that the obligation to have a test, recovery or vaccination certificate when travelling to the Netherlands has lapsed. The same applies to EU citizens travelling to the Netherlands from countries outside the EU or Schengen.

Lifting Covid-19 measures also brings changes to the workplace.

The advice to work from home has been lifted with immediate effect. This means that employees are in principle allowed to work full time in the office workplace again. However, the Government has called on employers to come to an agreement with employees about hybrid working.

The advice for teaching staff to take precautionary home COVID tests twice a week before going to school, is also lifted. Preventive testing if you have no symptoms is no longer necessary.

Please note that in the event of COVID-related health complaints, the advice remains to stay at home and to test. If the test is positive, the advice, as before, is to go into isolation and to work from home if possible. The basic recommendations, such as washing your hands regularly, coughing and sneezing in your elbow and ventilating indoor areas, remain in place.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the Working Conditions Decree was supplemented with additional requirements in connection with controlling the spread of COVID-19. As an employer, under this provision, you are obliged to take measures in the workplace to prevent and/or limit the chance of infection of employees and third parties in the workplace as much as possible. For more information, see here.

Despite the announced lifting of most measures, these additional requirements will remain in force until 1 June 2022. Until then it therefore remains important for employers to ensure sufficient hygienic facilities in connection with the control of COVID-19 in the workplace.