Iceland to open its borders on June 15

Thursday, May 14, 2020

 The Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir announced that from June 15, the 14 day quarantine will not be mandatory for passengers arriving at Keflavík International Airport. The tourists and Icelandic residents entering the country will be given the option of being screened for the novel coronavirus. 

The arriving passengers will go to their overnight accommodations after getting screened at the airport where they await the results. Additionally every arriving passenger will be asked to download the COVID-19 tracing app “Rakning C-19“ which helps authorities trace the origin of transmissions. 

Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Innovation said that when travelers return to Iceland they want to have all mechanisms in place to safeguard them and the progress made in controlling the pandemic. Iceland’s strategy of large-scale testing, tracing and isolating have proven effective so far. They 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.

 Depending on the continued decline of cases in Iceland the proposed border opening will depend. In May so far only three cases of the virus have been diagnosed in May.  More than 15% of Iceland’s population have been tested and only 15 individuals have the virus in Iceland.

 If the preparation goes well and the number of cases remains low it might be implemented earlier than June 15.

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