It seems like every couple of days another country is dropping their regulations and travel restrictions for Covid and this makes me very happy that the world is opening up again. Travel is one of the best things a person can do in their lives and I think that people that don't do it are really missing out on one of life's greatest treasures.
Now make no mistake: Iceland is NOT a budget destination. In fact, it is one of the most expensive places in the world that you can possibly travel to and I will admit that I have never been there because of this. I would love to go because the scenery just looks amazing. I'm not so sure how I would handle the weather though.
As of the 25th of February, Iceland has dropped all domestic and international travel restrictions. You do not need to show proof of vaccination and no one will ask for it. You will not be PCR tested and there are no mask restrictions anywhere in the country.
One surprising statement that was made by an official at the Ministry of Health was that the unnamed official kind of slapped the global health opinion in the face by stating, and I am paraphrasing here, "that as many people as possible need to catch Covid in order to get past this, the vaccine is not enough"
Their extremely laid-back approach to this is something that I think the world would have been better off if we had simply done this from the start as it appears that many experts agree that gaining natural immunity via exposure is far more effective than the vaccines are. I'm not looking to start an argument about this and I don't know if this is true or not and chances are neither do you. All I know is that all the precautions, lockdowns, quarantines, and all the other stuff the world did to stop the spread didn't work so maybe not doing anything would have been the best thing to start with.
In Iceland as of now, PCR tests will only be used on people with severe symptoms. Nobody will be forced to take a test and vaccinations are not required of anyone whether they are Icelandic or not. In certain situations where it is confirmed that someone has Covid, quarantine will be recommended but not required.
I don't make enough money to visit this country but I hope to one day. If you are one of the fortunate few that can afford it, I am envious of you and perhaps will join you one day. For now, I am just happy to see that the travel restrictions seem to be falling like dominos around the globe.
So this is great news for travel-lovers like myself. The only thing you need in order to get into Iceland is an airline ticket and a visa. For many nationalities you don't even need the second thing.
Well done Iceland!