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Open Borders and No Quarantine: Tourism Resumes in Iceland
Have you ever wanted to visit Iceland and admire its enchanting beauty? It looks like it is high time to book a hotel in Reykjavik because Iceland opens its borders next month. At a press conference several days ago, the island’s prime minister said the country was going to open its borders again. Moreover, starting from June 15, all foreign guests arriving at Keflavik International Airport do not need to stay 14 days in quarantine.
Mandatory quarantine has been a big obstacle for many international tourists. As the coronavirus pandemic is slowing down, many countries consider opening their borders. However, the mandatory 14-day quarantine rule destroys the whole idea of travel because not many tourists would agree to visit a foreign country only to stay locked for two weeks. This will never happen in Iceland. Tourists can follow their vacation plans soon after their arrival.
Moreover, Iceland offers both its residents and foreign tourists to become screened for the coronavirus. Upon arrival, passengers get screened directly at the airport. After that, passengers go to their overnight accommodation and wait for the result. Every person arriving in Iceland is also strongly recommended to download the “Rakning C-19” application. This is a tracking app of the country’s authorities.
These steps have been made to control the pandemic and protect residents and guests of the country. To slow down the spread of the coronavirus, Iceland picked the strategy of isolation, tracing the sick people, and performing mass-scale testing. This strategy has proved itself to be successful. Now Iceland needs to maintain its small number of the identified COVID-19 cases, and this is possible only if all tourists become screened.
The country’s officials say the current rules may be adjusted if the number of the identified virus cases increases. This month, Iceland recorded only 3 cases of the virus. In total, 15 individuals in Iceland have coronavirus. The number of virus cases looks particularly small if we take into consideration the fact that Iceland has already tested more than 15% of its population. According to the government, the new no quarantine rule might become valid even before June 15 if the country is prepared beforehand.
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