Five foreign tourists who could not show the relevant certificates at the border have been removed from the country this morning, RÚV reports.
This is not the first time people have had to be removed from the country. The new regulations were put in place on the 19th February where there was initially a grace period lasting a week.
The rules are now being enforced as of last Friday.
Two more will be will be removed tomorrow according to Sigurgeir Sigmundsson, chief police officer of the airport police in Suðurnes.
If in doubt, keep ’em out.
The fine for violating the rules at the border is 100,000 ISK. There is currently no scope for lowering the fine depending on how serious the offence is.
Sigurgeir says that a conversation with the public prosecutor has begun about changing this, and will be more akin to fines for violating the ban on assembly, as the scope is much greater.
Icelanders will be fined for not having the right certificates, not removed.
Only those who do not have a residence permit or legal domicile in this country are deported.
Icelanders, and others who have a legal residence permit, will not be removed from the country but can be fined depending on how serious their offence is, according to the police prosecution department at the border.
Sigurgeir says that it is quite time consuming to receive passengers from every plane that lands at Keflavík Airport these days.
It takes about one to two hours to go through all the certificates and process from each machine.
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!