Updated quarantine rules for travelers take effect Tuesday
The flow of tourists has begun to slowly increase. Those who have been fully vaccinated now have a fairly easy time visiting Iceland. Kristinn Magnússon
The ministry of health has published updated rules regarding the quarantine requirements of tourists visiting Iceland. This changes the list of countries from which visitors are required to either stay in the state-run quarantine facility, or have the possibility of applying for an exemption and self-quarantine elsewhere, Mbl.is reports.
Which group travelers fall into depends on the most recent infection rate of the countries they stayed in prior to their trip to Iceland.
If the country has, in the past 14 days, a) had an infection rate of 700 or more per 100.000 people, or b) if the rate is between 500 and 699 per 100.000 and the ratio of positive tests is 5% or higher, or c) the infection rate is above 500 but the ratio of positive vs. negative tests is unknown, then the visitor must stay in the designated quarantine hotel.
However if visitors come from a country where the infection rate is lower and/or the ratio of positive tests is lower they can request an exemption to be allowed to self-quarantine in a suitable location elsewhere.
The countries classified as being very high risk are, as of next Tuesday: Andorra, Argentina, Bahrain, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Serbia, Seychelles, Sweden, Turkey, and Uruguay.
Icelandic authorities consider the Faroe Islands and Greenland the only countries that are not high-risk areas.
According to the Covid.is information website the stay at the quarantine hotel is free of charge and can be expected to last between 5 and 6 days. Visitors must show a negative PCR test certificate before flying and are screened for the virus at the border, and then tested yet again a few days later at a health center. Those who test positive are required to isolate.
Unneccessary travel from high-risk countries is still banned, except for those who fulfil certain residency or nationality requirements, but foreign nationals can come to Iceland regardless of the purpose of their visit if they provide proof of vaccination or proof that they have had Covid-19 and are no longer infectious.
Passengers who present a vaccination certificate or a certificate of previous infection only need to be quarantined until a negative result has been obtained from the test done at the border. They can expect to receive their test results by text message within 24 hours.
The current rules for travel to Iceland can be found here: https://www.covid.is/categories/travel-to-and-within-iceland. ai@mbl.is
