Passengers Tested On Board Norræna Ferry
Health care workers, waiting to board Norræna last week. mbl.is/Pétur Kristjánsson
The ferry Norræna came to harbor in Seyðisfjörður around 11 o’clock this morning, carrying about 600 passengers, mbl.is reports. Between 400 and 500 of those were tested for the novel coronavirus on board the ship. Others had been tested in the Faroe Islands.
This is the largest number of passengers arriving with the ferry since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time it arrived, June 23, 300 out of 460 passengers had to be tested.
A team from the East Iceland Health Institution conducted testing on board the ship on the way to Iceland. Another team from deCode Genetics waited in the town of Seyðisfjörður for the ferry to arrive to participate in the screening process.
Testing must take place on board the ferry, since there are no facilities in the town for testing this many people at once. Through August 20, Norræna is scheduled to arrive in Seyðisfjörður, coming from Tórshavn, the Faroe Islands, every Thursday morning.
Passengers are charged ISK 9,000-11,000 for testing, depending on whether they pay for the test at preregistration or at the time of testing.
