- Iceland’s prime minister has announced plans to reopen the country’s borders to tourists by June 15.
- The country plans to allow travelers to avoid a 14-day quarantine by taking a free COVID-19 test upon arrival at the airport, according to Lonely Planet.
- Those who test positive would have to self-isolate for 14 days.
- The decision has been made in a bid to boost Iceland’s tourism industry and the economy, Matador Network reports.
Iceland announced this week that it plans to reopen its borders to tourists by June 15. The country will welcome travelers from all over the world, but will subject visitors to either testing or quarantine.
Less than two months after limiting arrivals from international travelers, the country announced its reopening plan, which could be moved up if the number of cases stays low. According to Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the timing “depends on when all the practicalities will be in place.”
The prime minister of Iceland has announced plans to reopen the country’s borders to tourists by June 15.
The country is said to be planning to give travelers free COVID-19 tests upon arrival at the airport — those who test negative would be free to enjoy their time in the country, but those who test positive would have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced in an official statement that travel restrictions would be loosened “no later than June 15 2020, while from May 15 some professionals arriving in Iceland including scientists, filmmakers, and athletes will be eligible for a modified quarantine,” according to Lonely Planet.
If you can prove you’re healthy with official documentation, you won’t be required to undergo another test.
“It’s very important to be able to have a more long-term view of things than we’ve been able to until now,” Bjarnheiour Hallsdottir, the chair of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association, told RUV, reported by the Reykjavik Grapevine.
“I believe that if everything goes well, we should see some tourists here this summer. For those who want to come, this will be a very real possibility.
Since late February, the Nordic island nation has recorded at least 1,800 confirmed cases of covid-19 and 10 deaths. The number of confirmed cases has dropped to four so far in May, one of the encouraging developments that helped influence the recent decision. Officials have controlled the spread of the virus through such measures as testing and tracing, and will extend these practices to the visiting public.
At the moment, only travelers with Schengen region passports are allowed to enter Iceland, and everyone must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
The current restrictions have been in place since March 15, Matador Network reports, and the driving force behind the easing is a desire to restart the tourism industry to boost the economy.
Icelandair is said to be struggling with flights at an all-time low and 3,000 staff members having been laid off.
“There is a lot at stake that Icelandair continues operations, and it’s in reality a life-or-death question for tourism in Iceland,” Hallsdottir said.
“Hopefully people realize that the situation isn’t just about Icelandair but tourism in Iceland as a whole, and not just tourism but the economy and our whole society.”
Iceland, which has a population of about 364,000, has had just 1,803 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 10 related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data.
About 38% of the country’s inhabitants have downloaded its COVID-19 tracing app, and any visitors this summer would probably be required to do so too.
Detective Inspector Gestur Palmason from the Icelandic Police has said, however, that the app is effective only when combined with manual contact tracing.
“When travelers return to Iceland we want to have all mechanisms in place to safeguard them and the progress made in controlling the pandemic,” said Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, the minister of tourism, industry and innovation, per Lonely Planet.
“Iceland’s strategy of large-scale testing, tracing, and isolating have proven effective so far. We want to build on that experience of creating a safe place for those who want a change of scenery after what has been a tough spring for all of us.”
Earlier this month, the European Commission extended its ban on non-essential travel through June 15. Iceland is a member of the Schengen area and, according to the ministry, will confer with other member states about opening its external border. In addition, the government will not allow visitors to venture into wider Europe without permission from the other countries.AD