Tourists coming to Iceland will have to carry the initial quarantine costs, while waiting for a second sampling and its result.
Under the new regulations that were announced last week and take effect tonight at midnight, all arrivals must be screened for COVID-19 at the border, go into quarantine for about 5 days and then take another test.
The rules for quarantine were released by the Directorate of Health on the weekend.
According to mbl, about a hundred properties have registered to recieve visitors in quarantine and Elías Bj. Gíslason, director of the Icelandic Tourist Board, is reported to have said that he is pleased that registration is happening, but encourages more large hotels to register.
Accommodations need to meet a number of conditions to be able to accommodate people waiting for their second sampling. Staff may not enter the guest’s rooms for instance, sufficient supplies in the form of e.g. soap, toilet paper and towles must be ensured and food my only be delivered to the door.
Fréttablaðið reports that incoming tourists will have to find a suitable accomodation (that is registered with the Icelandic Tourist Board) between screenings and carry the costs of their stay. Should they recieve a positive result upon their second sampling, tourist will move to a quarantine centre for isolation and treatment at the cost of the state.
It’s still somewhat unclear how exactly the rules and regulations will be enforced and how it will be made sure that people adhere to quarantine, although it has not been excluded that the civil defense could ask tourists about their situation over random telephone samples to check if people are at their stated location.
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