From December 10, travellers from within the EEA who have already contracted and recovered from COVID-19 will be exempt from infection prevention protocols on arrival in Iceland. Infection prevention regulations for travellers to Iceland will otherwise remain fundamentally unchanged until February 1 next year, the government decided this morning.
Travellers to Iceland currently have the option to undergo a 14-day quarantine after arrival or be tested for the virus at the airport and again after a five-day quarantine. This has impacted tourism greatly but Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason has stated repeatedly that he believes these actions have proven their value, as catching the infections at the border stops further spread of the virus. He has suggested making the testing mandatory but the government has decided that from December 1, testing will be free of charge to encourage people to choose the test instead of the quarantine.
From December 10, travellers who are able to provide official documentation that they have contracted COVID-19 and have made a full recovery will not have to undergo testing at the border or go into quarantine on arrival. Healthcare authorities have stated that people who have already contracted the virus and recovered are not at risk of spreading it further. They are still required to wash their hands frequently as they could possibly carry viral matters even if it’s highly unlikely they contract the virus again.
