Iceland will reopen tourism from 15 June
Iceland has said it will reopen its borders to foreign tourists on 15 June, though there’s a catch: visitors will either have to agree to be tested for COVID-19 or self-quarantine for two weeks.
Tourism minister Thordis Kolbrun Reykfjord Gylfadottir announced earlier this month that Iceland, which is part of the European Economic Area but not an EU member country, will begin easing restrictions on foreign tourists no later than June 15.
One condition of admission is that visitors must either be tested for coronavirus or spend two weeks in quarantine. However, citizens of countries that provide government records documenting a clean bill of health can opt to submit those instead.
“Iceland’s strategy of large-scale testing, tracing and isolating has proven effective so far,” Gylfadottir told Reuters, explaining the country’s relatively low rate of infection and death as well as its quick rebound.
“I believe that if everything goes well, we should see some tourists here this summer. For those who want to come, this will be a very real possibility.”
Regardless of which option visitors choose, they will be asked to download a contact-tracing app. About 38% of the country’s inhabitants have downloaded its COVID-19 tracing app, and any visitors this summer would probably be required to do so too.
MORE about ICELAND read in our blog-post: 7 best things to do in ICELAND
