Testing of Vaccinated Travelers to Cease in Iceland July 1

Icelandic Minister of Health Svandís Svavarsdóttir has decided, in consultation with Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason, to keep current border measures regarding COVID-19 unchanged through the end of June. This was announced on the government website.

Starting July 1, two changes to the rules are planned:

First, those who present a certificate of vaccination for COVID-19 or prior infection will no longer be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in the country.

Secondly, the testing of children for COVID-19 upon arrival in the country will be ceased.

Present rules, good through the end of June, require anyone who arrives in Iceland to present a certificate, no more than 72 hours old, showing negative results of a PCR test. Travelers are tested for COVID-19 upon arrival and again five days later, and must remain in quarantine until they have received the result of their second test.

Only those able to present a certificate of vaccination for COVID-19 or prior infection, as well as children, are exempt from being tested twice. Instead, they must be tested only once upon arrival in the country and must follow quarantine rules until they have received the result of their test.

Since May 1 this year, 47,000 passengers have arrived in Iceland from abroad. Their daily numbers keep rising. About 27,000 travelers have presented certificates of vaccination for COVID-19, or 57 percent, but vaccinated passengers now represent about 80 percent of the total number of arriving passengers. Since May 1, about six percent of arriving passengers have presented certificates of prior infection, and 34 percent have presented negative PCR results.

The chief epidemiologist states there are hopes that by the end of June, between 60 and 70 percent of Icelanders under the age of 50 will have been vaccinated.