Important Letter to Parents of Schoolchildren

The Capital District Civil Protection and Emergency Management has asked the media to publish the following letter to parents/guardians of preschoolers and grade school students:

The primary school Christmas break is fast approaching and many of you will be leaving the country to reunite with loved ones abroad. However, it is important that everyone remains aware of the measures in force at the Icelandic border on their return. Passengers can be tested for COVID-19 on arrival in Iceland and would then be called in for a second test 5 days later to shorten the quarantine period. The test is free. Those who feel unable to take the test at the border, must be quarantined for 14 days. The Civil Protection Authority’s Contact Tracing Team and the Office of the Medical Director of Health encourages everyone to take advantage of the free testing at the border and we wholeheartedly support this.

We encourage all parents/guardians to keep nursery level and primary school level children at home during the quarantine period, until they receive the results of the second test. The quarantine period is essential to protecting our schools as the virus has spread rapidly in other parts of the world and anyone travelling has an increased risk of contracting the virus. Those who choose not to take the test at the border must be quarantined for 14 days. We also recommend that their children be kept in quarantine during the same period.

We have all seen the negative impact that the virus has had on the Icelandic school system during the past few months. Any suspicion of infection can lead to numerous children and their families being quarantined which can often be difficult to accommodate. We can minimise the impact on schools by following the recommendations of the Civil Protection Authority’s Contact Tracing Team and the Office of the Medical Director of Health. These recommendations include the importance of passengers being tested at the border.

We wish you all the best and hope that you have a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Jón Viðar Matthíasson

Manager of Civil Protection in the capital area