Covid: Dutch police arrest quarantine hotel escapee couple

Dutch police say they have detained a couple who escaped from a Covid-quarantine hotel.

The arrests were made on a plane in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport just before take-off on Sunday evening.

The two people - who have not been named - were later handed over to the country's health service.

It comes after 13 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa last week tested positive for the new coronavirus variant.

They are among 61 passengers who tested positive for Covid.

It is not known whether the detained couple were among those passengers.

Local media are reporting that they managed to flee a quarantine hotel in the north-western Kennemerland region, where travellers from South Africa are currently in self-isolation.

The escapees could be prosecuted for violating Dutch quarantine rules, De Telegraaf newspaper says.

Bars, restaurants and shops - whose opening hours have already been restricted for several weeks - are required to close earlier than before, and there is a limit on the number of guests allowed in homes.

People are also being encouraged to work from home where possible, but nurseries, schools and universities across the country remain open.

Thousands of people protested after the measures were announced earlier this month.

The Netherlands has had nearly 20,000 confirmed Covid-related deaths since the pandemic started.

Omicron was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa on Wednesday, and early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk. It has been categorised by the WHO as a "variant of concern".