Icelandic authorities are no longer advising Icelandic residents against inessential travel to Europe, but continue to advise against travel outside of the continent. The government’s official travel advisory was updated to reflect this on June 23. All countries, however, remain defined as high-risk areas for COVID-19, with the exception of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
On March 14, 2020, the Icelandic government issued a travel advisory encouraging Icelanders to avoid unnecessary international travel and to return to Iceland if they were currently abroad. That advice has now been revised in light of loosening travel restrictions in Europe and the decline of COVID-19 cases on the continent.
Most Countries Still High Risk
Despite the update, the Chief Epidemiologist’s list of countries with a high risk of infection remains unchanged: the only two countries that have been removed from the list are Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Icelandic authorities continue to advise residents to avoid travel outside of Europe due to travel restrictions and quarantine measures that may be in place.
Conditions Can Change Rapidly
“It should be borne in mind that conditions can change rapidly, and most of Iceland’s partner states have warned that there will be no home transport available as when the pandemic hit in early 2020,” a government notice on the update warns. “Repatriation of Icelanders was based on co-operative efforts with these states and it is not expected that the foreign service will be able to assist Icelanders in the same way it did then if circumstances change.”
Travellers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the rules and measures in place in the countries they plan to visit as well as the terms of service providers and insurance companies before embarking on a trip abroad.
