Safe travel hack that Iceland is adopting to promote tourism

Iceland is a dream destination for many. With the beautiful northern lights and breathtaking waterfalls, Iceland being off-limits had been a bummer for many tourists alike. A largely untouched and young landmass, Iceland ends up being on every travel enthusiast’s bucket list. Although it had gone into the lockdown mode for a couple of months, it reopened for tourists on June 15th. This news came as a relief for many ardent tourists.

The government and locals are however a little concerned about the safety aspect of foreign tourists visiting their land. Even though quite a few countries have adopted measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, cases continue to rise. In a bid to ensure that Icelanders are kept safe from any kind of spread, the Iceland government has adopted a trending safety hack to ensure that responsible and safe tourism is promoted.

What is the measure?

Anyone who is arriving in Iceland will have to undergo a unique sort of testing. That’s right. Apart from the rule of observing a quarantine period, double safety is being ensured by the government by way of testing. This method was introduced in the Iceland government’s advise sometime in the middle of August. It has come into immediate effect and is being upheld as what could be one of the most effective measures to combat the virus on the tourism front.

Travellers will have to be prepared for a double screening process whereby they will have to undergo two tests. The first test will have to be taken up at that time of arrival itself. This will be followed by a period of quarantine. The quarantine period will last for about 5 or 6 days following which the visitor will have to undertake a second round of screening. If the second test also proves to be negative, the visitor is allowed to travel around Iceland. According to the government, this measure will prove to be more effective as opposed to one test earlier.

Also read: Why Iceland wants travellers to scream into its gorgeous landscapes

Other procedures to follow

If you are not willing to take up the double screening procedure, you will have to undertake quarantine for up to 2 weeks after arrival. If you choose to undergo double COVID-19 testing, you will have to pay ISK 15,000 for the first round of testing. The second round of testing, in this case, will be free of cost. Apart from this if you have children who are born after 2005, they will not have to go through any of these processes. Do keep in mind that you will not be allowed to produce test results from your home country on arrival.

As a tourist, you will have to download Rakning C-19 which is the COVID-19 tracking app formulated by the Icelandic government. According to reports, about 40% of Iceland’s population has downloaded the app and you too are encouraged to do the same. All travellers will have to sign a pre-registration form and use the contact tracing app for infection control. You need not worry about the safety of the app at all. It does not leak any personal details of the user until it traces out that the person is infected.

Also read: There is nothing like Iceland in December

Iceland has not opened up to countries like the US due to the rising number of cases. But the procedure which is being adopted by the government of Iceland will surely come as a welcome change. It will prove to be an effective measure against the spread of the virus through tourists. Your dream trip to Iceland is not so far away after all! If you are craving for a short getaway, you can check out some of the staycation deals offered by Pickyourtrail. Safe travelling could not get any better!