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Iceland Will Welcome Tourists To Country Next Week

Iceland Will Welcome Tourists To Country Next Week

On 15 June, tourists will no longer need to quarantine for 14-days if they tests negative for Covid-19 on arrival

Mischa Pearlman

Mischa Pearlman

Iceland has confirmed it is set to reopen to tourists on 15 June in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Which - as hard as this is to believe - is next Monday.

As things currently stand, everybody arriving in Iceland before 15 June is required to go into quarantine for 14 days, regardless of whether they are an Icelandic citizen or resident and no matter where they have travelled from.

After 15 June, passengers who arrive in Iceland can either go into 14-day quarantine or be tested for Covid-19 at the airport.

Until 1 July, the test will be free of charge, and after that it will cost 15,000 ISK (£89). More details on the testing are due to be announced, but children who were born in 2005 or later are exempt.

Iceland will lift some restrictions for tourists on 15 June.
PA

According to local publication Iceland Monitor, the results of the test will be available the same day in most cases, but may arrive the next day if passengers land in the evening.

Tourists will be allowed to travel to their accomodation while they await the results of their tests. If the test is positive, they must quarantine for 14 days.

Iceland has a population of around 364,000 people, and, at the time of writing, has had only 1,807 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - only three of which are currently active - and 10 confirmed deaths.

Iceland will waive the need for a 14-day quarantine if tourists test negative for Covid-19.
PA

The country has it own Covid-19 tracing app, Rakning C-19, which 38 percent of the country have downloaded.

Chief Epidemiologist Thorolfur Gudnason said: "The intention is to safeguard the progress we have made so far when travellers start returning to Iceland.

"Throughout the pandemic, we have aimed for moderate but targeted measures based on the best available information. Primary schools have remained open and no lockdowns have been imposed.

"Now that there are almost no cases in Iceland, we see this as a normal next step as the world is slowly opening up to travel again."

Previously, the Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir announced that from 15 May, 'some professionals arriving in Iceland including scientists, filmmakers, and athletes will be eligible for a modified quarantine'.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World News, Coronavirus, travel

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]