Your safety and health during travel continue to be top priorities for us at Adventures.com. The latest news about Covid-19 in Iceland and Canada will keep you informed and up-to-date. Below find important travel details, answers to all your health questions, and how to stay safe during your travels.
Thanks to its large-scale testing and contact tracing, Iceland has successfully contained Covid-19. In fact, the country held the final scheduled pandemic press conference and lifted the state of emergency on May 25. The island has just a handful of coronavirus cases at the moment of writing and now relaxing Covid-19 restrictions.
This means you can already start planning your trip to the Land of Fire and Ice.
Iceland is open to tourist nationals of other EU and Schengen states.
However, the country's borders are closed to travelers from countries outside of the EEA and EFTA. The country will soon be lifting these travel restrictions for residents of 15 states outside of the Schengen Area.
As of June 15, travelers, who are allowed to enter Iceland, can choose to be tested for COVID-19 instead of going into two-week quarantine.
To ensure the safety of both travelers and the local community, Iceland is taking all the necessary precautions. Here’s what you need to know about traveling to Iceland after June 15:
Enjoy your trip while staying healthy and safe!
HELPFUL LINKS
Isavia, Iceland’s airport operator, reports that currently there are flights to and from Reykjavik from 21 destinations in 15 countries.
As of June 15, Icelandair, the flag carrier of Iceland, operates daily flights from key destinations in Europe, such as Copenhagen, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Zürich, Frankfurt, Paris, and Oslo. Check out the latest flight schedule on Icelandair official website.
Such airlines as Wizz Air, Air Baltic, EasyJet, Czech Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, and Transavia are also offering flights to Iceland from various destinations. You can find the full list of airlines flying to Reykjavik and their destinations on Isavia's informational web page.
Swimming pools, gyms, bars, and restaurants are wide open to tourists. So you’ll easily find a place for a traditional Icelandic dish or a relaxing swim!
Stores, museums, hotels, and other facilities provide hand sanitizer and do additional cleaning on frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, tables, and reception desks.
What about social distancing? People are asked to maintain a two-metre social distance whenever possible. However, this rule became optional as of May 25, 2020.
To ensure everyone’s safety, Adventures.com works according to the guidelines provided by the Icelandic Directorate of Health. Our tour guides try to maintain a distance of two meters between people whenever possible. We also clean our vehicles thoroughly after every tour and provide hand sanitizer on all buses.
You’ll find printed instructions on how to avoid infection in both our operational bases and vehicles. Your safety always comes first.
Huts and campsites used in our trekking tours have implemented social distancing and enhanced cleaning procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Huts:
Hand sanitizer and sanitizing sprays will be accessible inside all huts, with instructions on how to use them. Only one person from each group is allowed to cook in the kitchen at a time. Common contact surfaces should be sanitized before and after food preparations. After cooking, all equipment (dishes and cutleries) should be thoroughly cleaned with hot water and soap.
There is a limitation on how many people can use the toilet facilities at the same time, and people are encouraged to sanitize contact surface areas, like door handles and tables, afterward.
Campsites:
Each campsite will be divided into sections, and each section will accommodate 200 people max according to recommendations from the Directorate of Health. Groups are encouraged to keep a distance of 2 meters from each other.
There is a limitation on how many people can use the toilet facilities at a time, and people are encouraged to sanitize contact surface areas afterward.
In the case of suspected coronavirus infection, Adventures.com will follow strict emergency procedures. These procedures are based on guidelines issued by the Icelandic Directorate of Health. If there is a high probability of infection, health workers will be contacted and the appropriate measures taken.
To protect the safety of all our travelers, we ask our tour participants to frequently wash your hands and cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing.
If you have cold-like symptoms, you should self-isolate and instantly contact the Health line 1770 (+354 544 4113). Do not visit hospitals and clinics without being directed first.
Iceland has one of the most advanced healthcare systems in Europe. For insured travelers, healthcare services and in-patient hospitalization is free and for as long as necessary.
Am I entitled to medical services in Iceland? If you're an insured EEA citizen, you’re entitled to medical care in Iceland. Just don’t forget to bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or other confirmation of insurance. For non-EEA citizens, it’s recommended to purchase travel insurance.
Canada has 104,271 confirmed coronavirus cases at the moment of writing and introduced a number of travel restrictions in response to Covid-19 pandemic. Though the country’s new coronavirus cases continue trending downward and provinces and territories begin to reopen their economy, foreign travel remains limited to essential trips.
Currently, the Canadian authorities are not allowing most foreign nationals into Canada. The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed until June 21. International travel restrictions will last until June 30 and these travel restrictions might be extended if the public health situation deems it necessary.
At the moment, only essential travel is advised. The following groups are allowed to enter Canada:
The Canadian government is evaluating the situation weekly. It is yet to be decided when the country will reopen to international travelers.
Some Canadian provinces remain open, allowing Canadians to explore their beautiful country. However, Canada is big and traveling rules differ across the country.
These are the current travel rules between Canadian provinces and territories:
Adventures.com's passion to explore the world hasn’t diminished a drop. We still operate some of our Canadian tours with departure dates through 2020. Our expert guides work according to the official health guidelines and go the extra mile to give you the best possible experience.
However, due to the current situation with Covid-19 and travel restrictions in Canada, we’ve decided to reschedule some of our tours for 2021. You’ll find available tour departures on our tour pages. If you can’t find information you need, feel free to contact us any time.
We remain committed to providing you with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Let’s keep our shared wanderlust alive!
Coronavirus (or Covid-19) is a novel virus from a broad group of coronaviruses which can infect humans and cause coronavirus infection. While most cases are asymptomatic, typical signs of infection are cough, sore throat and fever.
To this day there is no direct treatment for coronavirus although there are many on-going clinical trials for potential drugs. So far symptomatic and supportive treatments are the cornerstone of management. Fortunately, most patients get well on their own and mortality rate is up to 1,3% (which was considerably higher for MERS and SARS).
According to the latest data, coronavirus stays on clothes for about 2 days.
For now, it’s not clear whether you can get infected with Covid-19 more than once. Investigations are ongoing.
Yes, according to WHO and CDC hand washing with hand sanitizer for 30 seconds is one of the main methods of coronavirus transmission prevention.
This depends on your airline policy. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, some airlines introduced flexible booking policies, allowing travelers to change their flights. If your airline hasn’t relaxed its ticket-change policy, we recommend paying more for a fully refundable ticket.
If you’re planning to visit Iceland, we have good news for you. Icelandair, the flag carrier airline of Iceland, recently announced that you’ll be able to book another flight, receive a credit, or get a full refund in case your flight is cancelled.
Whether you can travel or not depends on your destination. As the summer season approaches, most European countries plan to reopen for tourism by mid-June. Iceland will open its borders no later than June 15. Canada remains closed for foreign tourists, meaning only domestic travel is available at the moment.
During the coronavirus pandemic, health and safety are the primary focus. If you feel symptoms of cough, sore throat, and fever you should immediately contact your local health care facility and refrain from traveling abroad.
You should also carefully consider traveling abroad if you have chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and lung diseases.
Also, make sure you’re not traveling against your government’s guidelines.
If you feel secure health wise and your destination is not classified as a high-risk area, you can go enjoy your holiday.
According to WHO, following good hand hygiene and cough etiquette can protect you from the virus. These are the safety tips on how to stay healthy while traveling:
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