With second waves of COVID beckoning in the wake of global unrest, it is interesting to see countries such as Iceland go from being one of the worst hit countries in terms of infections per capita, to almost zero infections in the space of five weeks without for the most part shutting down their country.
As the US and other countries verge on r0 being > 1 and perhaps another 50,000 deaths to come, is there something that can be learned from what Iceland are doing?
Unlike the other countries hit badly with COVID, Iceland have employed a mix of aggressive testing and contact tracing as well as placing moderate restrictions on large gatherings to encircle the virus. Given the social unrest and protests going on, it's very difficult to see restrictions on large gatherings being enforced in the US, but in Iceland where there are virtually no protests, the virus has been virtually dead for about a month now.
But it doesn't stop there. Iceland are so confident with their test and trace infrastructure that they are conducting an experiment that allows you to visit the country without having a 14 day quarantine starting June 15th, provided you can submit a negative COVID test ahead of time or on arrival.
Obviously, opening up in any capacity is an expansion of risk, but the nation relies on tourism for a significant part of it's economy and alongside their confidence in their test and trace infrastructure, Iceland believe that even with the entry of a small number of people who are infected, they can be caught via contact tracing before the illness can spread too much.
Some caveats:
- It might be quite safe inside Iceland, but getting there requires you to go through airports, which is an inevitable gauntlet of risk from catching the disease on route.
- Some of the amenities are still closed, for instance bars and pubs. That said, Iceland attracts visitors for it's scenic landscapes and nature, so that might not be as big a hit to many.
On a side note, it appears as though Alaska is also close to eliminating COVID as well and have followed with their on policy of allowing people to visit without quarantine if they can prove they are COVID negative.
Hawaii seems to be the only other destination that isn't icey and cold that have virtually eliminated the virus but they have yet to announce a similar policy.
Now the question to you is where do you want to go?