Border Measures Mostly Unchanged Through January 31

Disease prevention measures will for the most part remain unchanged at Iceland’s borders through the end of January, 2021, mbl.is reports. The Icelandic government made this decision on Friday. Travelers arriving in Iceland will continue to have a choice between spending 14 days in quarantine and being tested for the coronavirus, first upon arrival and again four to five days later.

Last week, it was announced that coronavirus testing at the border would be temporarily free of charge between December 1 and January 31.

What changes, beginning December 10, is that arriving passengers who have already recovered from a COVID-19 infection will be exempt from testing or quarantine if they can provide proof of prior infection.

“Further information on what kind of documentation is needed will be available shortly on the Government information portal www.covid.is,” a statement from the government reads.

“These measures are intended to limit the risk of infections getting into the country across the border,” states Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir. “While we can never guarantee that all potential sources of future outbreaks can be stopped, it is prudent to aim to minimize this risk as much as possible. We are hopeful that the development of effective vaccines will allow us to review the border measures in the first weeks of the new year.”