Planes from South Africa carrying COVID-positive passengers land in Amsterdam

schiphol airport
(Image credit: LAURENS BOSCH/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

At least 61 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed after two planes from South Africa carrying over 600 passengers landed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Friday, The Washington Post and New York Post report.

It remains unclear whether any of those cases are instances of the new Omicron variant. Infected passengers will be required to quarantine at a hotel for at least five days. Those who tested negative were allowed to return home or continue to their ultimate destinations. According to a New York Times reporter who was a passenger on one of the flights, several of her fellow passengers were maskless in violation of the mandate imposed by Dutch airline KLM.

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.