Iceland Obliges Arrivals to Stay at Quarantine Facility If Their Home Quarantine Doesn’t Meet Requirements
Iceland’s government has announced that all persons who are not able to stay in a home quarantine that fulfils the requirements will be obliged to remain in a quarantine facility, free of charge.
The decision comes following the Chief Epidemiologist’s recommendations and aims to stop the further spread of the Coronavirus outbreak, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
Since April 9, Iceland has made some quarantine and testing process changes for those wishing to enter the country.
“Everyone arriving at the country shall be tested at the borders as before, quarantine for five days and undergo a second test upon finishing. People are allowed to quarantine at home if certain requirements are fulfilled,” Iceland’s government statement reads.
All persons who quarantine at home will be required to stay in a facility that meets the conditions and rules in line with the requirements of Chief Epidemiologist, Þórólfur Guðnason. Those who cannot remain in home quarantine will be required to stay at a quarantine facility without being required to pay a fee for their stay.
Children born in 2005 or later will have to undergo the testing process when reaching Iceland’s border. In case that a child travels with a person who must follow quarantine rules, the same must stay with his/her companion and be allowed to leave the quarantine if the second test of the letter is negative.
A child travelling alone will not be required to stay self-isolated when entering Iceland.
“The requirement of testing individuals carrying a vaccination certificate, or a certificate of prior infection is adopted due to indications that those individuals can pass on infections. They are not required to stay in quarantine but shall wait for the test result at their place of stay,” the statement clarifies.
The decision is temporary and will be reviewed again by the end of this month.
Iceland Chief Epidemiologist Guðnason has proposed increased surveillance of persons in-home quarantine, which would be achieved in cooperation with the Police’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.
Even though the third wave of the Coronavirus pandemic continues to affect countries worldwide, since April 6, authorities in Iceland have announced that they permitted passengers from countries outside the Schengen Area and those from Britain and the United States to enter Iceland under specific conditions.
However, Iceland’s flag carrier airline, Icelandair, has urged US passengers not to try to use Iceland as a door to enter other European countries, warning that they will not be permitted to do so even though Iceland is part of the Schengen Zone and in a normal situation they would be permitted to travel from Iceland to other countries in the borderless area.
Under strict rules and controls, authorities in Iceland, up to this point, have managed to maintain the Coronavirus pandemic situation under control. The country has registered 6,258 cases of infection from the Coronavirus pandemic, and 29 since the beginning of the pandemic, based on figures published by Worldometers.
