COVID-19 Business Travels, Dutch Economy Growth and New Travel Rules – The Latest News
COVID-19: How Should You Handle Business Travel?
Deloitte predicts that most companies will no longer require management approval for domestic business travel during the first two quarters of 2022
Business travel is expected to increase significantly in the second half of 2021, albeit it will be below the 2019 level, according to a recent study by Deloitte. But employers are still reluctant to invite employees on business trips, Deloitte said in a report released in August.
“Many companies still require extra layers of approval for corporate trips, and travel volume has only grown slightly from the end of 2020,” the report said. “International travel remains all but prohibitive, with quarantine on arrival required in many countries regardless of vaccination status.”
Deloitte predicts that most companies will no longer require management approval for domestic business travel during the first two quarters of 2022. Others take a different approach. At Volkswagen AG, internal booking software helps employees find alternatives to flights and they are asked to justify the trip rather than doing business online, Bloomberg reported. According to NBC News, Ford requires employees traveling abroad to be vaccinated.
How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Corporate Travel
The successful introduction of the vaccine and updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) making travel safe for vaccinated people are heralding the return of home travel for vacation. But corporate travel is returning slower due to a more complex set of considerations.
Corporate Travel Prepares for Post-Vaccine Realities
Can companies require employees to be vaccinated at least as a precondition for a business trip? The answer to this question “varies greatly depending on where you are” and is best left to the discretion of each company’s legal department, said Andrew Miller, director of American partnerships at International SOS.
How Will Vaccine Passports Impact Business Travel?
As COVID-19 vaccines become widely available and businesses seek to safely resume travel, employers may wonder if they can require a “vaccine passport” – proof of vaccination – before allowing employees to travel to work.
the Netherlands
Dutch economy grows faster than forecast, households have more to spend
Dutch economy is recovering from the coronavirus faster than predicted and is now almost back to 2019 levels
The Dutch economy is growing faster-than-expected, increasing 3.8% in the second quarter, up from the 3.1% previously forecast, the national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.
As more data becomes available, it is increasingly clear that the Dutch economy is recovering from the coronavirus faster than predicted and is now almost back to 2019 levels, CBS reported.
The improvement boils down to increased trade and increased government and consumer spending.
Households also have more to spend on, according to CBS. Disposable household income increased by 3.1% in the second quarter of this year, the strongest growth since 2002. The growth is largely due to higher wage rates, according to CBS.
The Netherlands’ new travel rules
New travel and quarantine rules come into force in the Netherlands on 22 September. Here’s an update:
Dutch government relaxes travel restrictions and quarantine rules
So far, the Dutch government has used the EU travel whitelist to determine the rules for entering countries outside the EU. According to current regulations, all travelers arriving from areas of very high risk must be quarantined for at least five days upon arrival in the Netherlands.
However, this quarantine obligation will soon change: from 22 September, vaccinated travelers from high-risk areas will no longer be quarantined.
Mandatory quarantine rule canceled for very high risk countries
From 22 September, vaccinated travelers arriving from the following countries no longer need to be quarantined:
- Afghanistan
- American Virgin Islands
- Anguilla
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Bermuda
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Eswatini
- Fiji
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- Georgia
- Guadeloupe
- Guyana
- Haïti
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Israel
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Lesotho
- Malaysia
- Martinique
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Palestinian Territories
- Philippines
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Thailand
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Venezuela
Although the quarantine rules have changed, travelers arriving from certain high-risk areas will still have to present a negative coronavirus test (PCR or antigen) before leaving for the Netherlands, regardless of their vaccination status. PCR test results can be up to 48 hours and antigen test results up to 24 hours.
Travelers who have not received a full vaccination – even those with an official certificate of recovery – will still be required to be quarantined upon arrival in the Netherlands.
Want to know more, Read here about our Brexit Services
