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ICELAND MUST allow entry to all visitors with proof of Covid vaccination from Thursday, the Health Ministry said.
The policy, which has been in effect since January 20 for visitors from anywhere in the Schengen area without a passport, will be extended to all arrivals regardless of their country of origin, the ministry said today in a statement.
Customs authorities will accept vaccination certificates from Schengen countries or the “yellow card” from the World Health Organization.
“All those who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to travel to Iceland without being subject to border measures such as testing and quarantine,” the statement said.
Alternatively, as has been possible since December, all travelers, not just those from the Schengen area, can perform antibody tests showing a previous infection.
The move makes Iceland one of the first European nations to open its borders beyond the Schengen area, which covers 26 countries, most of the 27 EU members, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Ireland is not part of the Schengen area.
Cyprus announced earlier this month that it would allow Britons who have been vaccinated into the country as of May 1, removing a previous requirement for self-isolation.
With the new policy, Iceland hopes to boost the flow of visitors from the United States and Britain, its two largest tourism markets, both leaders in the global vaccination campaign.
Since February 19, about 20% of visitors to the North Atlantic island of some 365,000 people have provided proof of prior infection or a vaccination certificate, according to the country’s chief epidemiologist.
The incidence of coronavirus in Iceland is currently nine per 100,000 people, and nearly 10 percent of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
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Covid-19 has officially claimed 29 lives out of 6,087 cases in Iceland.
– © AFP 2021
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