A couple was arrested for violating coronavirus quarantine, in which they had been placed after at least one of them tested positive for the coronavirus on arrival from South Africa, Dutch police said, according to local news reports.

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       The incident comes as countries in Europe go on high alert over the appearance of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in at least 10 European countries.

       The married couple, a Portuguese woman and a Spanish man, were arrested Sunday evening at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, moments before their flight was scheduled to depart for Spain. The couple has since been placed in isolation in a hospital, according to Het Parool, a Dutch newspaper.

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       The man and the woman, whose names were not released, had arrived to the Netherlands on a flight from South Africa, and at least one of them tested positive for the coronavirus after landing at Schiphol airport. They were placed in isolation in a hotel along with travelers from southern Africa.

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       They left the hotel where they were isolating around 6 p.m. Sunday. Security guards alerted the Marechaussee, one of Netherlands’s national police forces, according to the Guardian. The couple was arrested on the plane “almost silently and without violence,” a Marechaussee spokesman said.

       The Netherlands has tightened coronavirus restrictions in response to the spread of the omicron variant. Recreational venues such as bars, museums, cinemas and cafes must close by 5 p.m. for the next three weeks, according to the Guardian.

       South African scientists confirmed Thursday that they had detected a new variant with a high number of mutations, which raised concern among experts. The World Health Organization dubbed it omicron and designated it “a variant of concern.” A number of countries imposed restrictions on travel from countries in southern Africa.