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One week visit - early to mid June - quarantine hotel location?

Hello,

I'm taking my chances on a trip early-mid June, travelling solo and my goal is to do the Ring Road. I understand I cannot do any outdoor activities until I get the results of the covid test performed at the airport.

Any thoughts on the location of the hotel to quarantine while awaiting results? There is a website with the list of hotels that accept travelers while in "quarantine":

https://www.ferdamalastofa.is/en/about-us/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-general-info/accommodations-that-welcome-guests-in-quarantine

The accomodations are spread out all over Iceland, which makes me believe that travelers can choose any one of those for their first night... In my proposed itinerary I'd like to spend it nearby Skagafrjordur (West Iceland) per Rick Steves' itinerary, but it's about a 5 hr drive...

Would I be "allowed" to travel that far after renting a car and leaving the airport? It seems that the honor code will be in place...

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance

Posted by
11030 posts

Be sure to note the prescribed schedule for the 2 dose vaccines.

Details regarding vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency: (Name of vaccine, authorization holder/manufacturer; number and interval between doses for vaccination to be complete)

Comirnaty; Pfizer-BioNTech; 2 doses at least with 19–42 days apart

COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna; Moderna Biotech Spain; 2 doses at least 28 days apart

COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca; 2 doses at least with 4–12 weeks apart.

COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Janssen-Cilag International NV); 1 dose.

https://www.landlaeknir.is/um-embaettid/greinar/grein/item44162/Certificate-of-vaccination-against-COVID-19-accepted-at-the-border

Posted by
104 posts

Thanks for the replies... Yes, vaccinations with certification are an absolute pre-requisite...

Does anyone know of any issues with regard to spending the first night after arriving in Iceland at a location nearby Skagafjordur, about 5 hours away, while awaiting covid-19 test results? I've read visitors mostly waiting in Reykjavik itself, but I don't think it's the only "allowable" alternative.

Thank you!

Posted by
67 posts

If you have your OWN (NO public shared) transport DIRECTLY from KEF and do NOT make ANY stops, then I think you could go straight to your selected hotel that meets quarantine criteria:

https://www.icelandair.com/support/covid-19/faq/ "do I need to quarantine?"
https://www.covid.is/categories/travel-to-and-within-iceland "conditions for "home" quarantine"
https://www.landlaeknir.is/um-embaettid/greinar/grein/item41241/appropriate-housing-while-in-quarantine criteria for hotels
https://www.ferdamalastofa.is/en/moya/news/category/1/accommodation-that-welcome-guests-in-quarantine guidelines for guests and hotels
If you are particularly OCD like me,
https://www.landlaeknir.is/servlet/file/store93/item42251/Hygiene%20measures%20on%20return%20to%20ICE_Heimkomusmitg%C3%A1t%2027.7.20%20%20ENGL.pdf how to 2nd test if your entry test returns positive
https://www.landlaeknir.is/covid19-screening test sites in and beyond Reykjavik
(I've done tons of research, but not willing to commit to trip because of US return test requirement, ha ha!) Looking forward to other travelers' reports though!

"on your honor" yes, but you will have registered so they know where you should be (can't remember if it was this forum or another blog that reported that they actually check and impose fines/deport!!)
https://visit.covid.is/
https://www.landlaeknir.is/um-embaettid/greinar/grein/item43539/Instructions-for-persons-under-home-based-quarantine

also, will you need to eat during/after your drive? have a plan ahead of time! (bring food for the road? if you show that you're prepared to follow the rules, they'd be more likely to approve your quarantine plan at border entry? re-reading one of my links above, I get the unstated impression that if they don't "approve" of a traveler's "proposed quarantine plan", they could require you to quarantine at the government hotel? this probably applies more to peeps who have to do the 5 days, but...we're lucky to be "exempt" from prolonged quarantine, so I hope travelers will follow the rules and not force Iceland to backtrack on easing restrictions :-)

Posted by
104 posts

All good points SQ!

I believe on June 1st, Iceland will provide an update on travel regulations. The CDC came out this week and things look pretty good for vaccinated individuals here in the US, even the mask mandates are being relaxed... unless a very deadly covid strain takes over, it appears that we are in the beginning of the end stages of this pandemic... I can't help but think that Iceland will somewhat relax its requirements as the summer season begins...we'll see...

I'm writing this as a fully vaccinated traveler (2 shots, Pfizer vaccine and more than 2 weeks since second shot)...The requirements for Iceland as of now are very clear, testing for everyone at the airport and await results at their accomodations. It doesn't say anywhere about where the location should be (in fact there a list of allowable accomodations all over Iceland, as far out as the North Iceland)...So, after I pick-up my rental car, If I decide to travel 5 hrs away for my first accomodation, how can they "enforce" that I don't interact with anyone? Do I have to buy the food I need in the airport and take it with me and drive non-stop until I reach my destination? There is an app Rakning C-19 that travelers are supposed to download with real-time GPS tracking, maybe this is the way they'd know travelers are complying... but what if I stop en-route and walk around an outdoor crater with very few people around? (leave my phone in my phone with the tracker GPS)... What if I decide to stop by a gas station/mini mart, is the attendant going to ask me for proof of vaccination/clearance in order to allow the sale? ... my "guess" (and it's just a guess) is that as long as the traveler doesn't "deviate" from the proposed route and within a reasonable amount of time on the road (maybe they'll say I ought to be in my accomodation no later than say 5-7 hours from then), there wouldn't be a claim for non-compliance... It's a bit of a gray area and the lack of information online made me ask this question in this forum... It's still somewhat subject to interpretation... the final say may be based on the discretion of the Icelandic authorities... I am aware of this...

Travelers have been successfully going to Iceland since early April, there are written reports of what to expect, where to get tested for PCR testing in Iceland prior to coming back (which by the way this too could be relaxed in the next few weeks for returning US travelers)... I think it's safe, there are minor annoyances like the one we're describing, but it should be awesome to travel this time of the year with fewer crowds... I like the odds of making this a successful trip... worse comes to worse, I may have to spend the first night somewhere in Reykjavik... my itinerary can still be adjusted to the realities on the ground...

Alex