Home to volcanoes, glaciers and the steaming waters of the Blue Lagoon, Iceland reopened its borders on Monday in a move welcomed by the battered tourism sector, but COVID-19 tests are required for all travellers.
A subarctic island in the North Atlantic, Iceland closed its borders to non-EU travellers on March 20, followed a month later by the reintroduction of internal border controls, in a bid to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. Today, it has only four active cases. The island's awe-inspiring canyons and gorges, and flat plains and valleys formed by years of volcanic eruptions, attracted some two million visitors in 2019, or six times its population.
If the test is positive, travellers will have to self-isolate for 14 days at a designated isolation centre at no cost, Icelandic authorities said.As of July 1, travellers will have to pay 15,000 kronur themselves to take the test. The testing is expected to continue for at least six months.