58 Failed to Present Certificates at Border

Of the 706 passengers who arrived in Iceland over the weekend, 58 failed to bring along a certificate, showing negative results of a PCR test for COVID-19, a valid certificate of vaccination for the disease, or proof of prior infection, mbl.is reports.

New rules took effect at Icelandic borders on Friday, requiring people to present a negative PCR, taken within 72 hours of departure for Iceland. In addition, travelers are required to undergo double screening for the coronavirus – first upon arrival and again four to five days later, with a quarantine in between.

Those who provide valid proof of having been vaccinated against COVID-19 are not required to provide a PCR-test prior to boarding and are also exempt from screening and quarantine measures at the border. The same applies to those who can provide proof of prior infection. For more detail, see here .

All 58 people who failed to present the required documents reside in Iceland or work here.

Chief Superintendent Víðir Reynisson tells mbl.is that those people were not and will not be fined. “Not until those rules from the state prosecutor and guidelines regarding fines have been published are we permitted to start issuing them,” he states. “We expect to receive [those rules and guidelines] by the middle of the week.”

When asked how people explained the absence of documents, Víðir states that they blamed it on a lack of time.

“Most of them had made it to a test, but been unable to receive the results before departure,” he states. He adds that by now, everyone should be aware of the new rules.

“By now, everyone who arrives here is informed; everyone receives a message from his or her airline, stating that this is required,” he explains. “The transitional period is over.”