Citizens of 16 countries can travel to Estonia without quarantine from June
Citizens of 16 Schengen zone countries can travel to Estonia without quarantining on arrival from June 1, foreign minister Urmas Reinsalu told ERR on Thursday.
Citizens and residents of Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland will be able enter Estonia without having to undergo a 14-day quarantine period after they arrive.
Reinsalu (Isamaa) said the government had decided people who have traveled to Estonia from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Malta, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark must still undergo a period of quarantine.
"This list will be reviewed once a week. With the current trend, it can be said that these countries will gradually fall off the list," said Reinsalu.
Travelers from these countries will not be spared quarantine even if they can present a certificate which proves they have tested negative for coronavirus, ERR wrote.
Compliance with quarantine will be monitored by the police and Reinsalu said the police will carry out random checks on passengers. Tests for coronavirus are currently performed at the Port of Tallinn and will start to be carried out at Tallinn Airport.
"We have had close discussions with other countries both at political and administrative level throughout the crisis and public health is everyone's priority," he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday travel is allowed to Estonia from European Union countries, the UK and Ireland from June 1 but quarantine rules depend on the country of origin.
The compulsory quarantine for people arriving in Estonia depends on whether the relative coronavirus infection rate in their country of origin is above 15.
This means that no more than 15 people per 100,000 inhabitants have become infected in the passenger's country of origin in the past 14 days. Anyone arriving in Estonia from a country with a higher infection rate must self-isolate for two weeks on arrival.
Entry from third countries, including Russia and Ukraine, will remain banned until June 15, ERR wrote.
A restriction making a 14-day quarantine period mandatory for people arriving in Estonia from abroad was imposed in March when the emergency situation was introduced to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
In the past couple of weeks, these restrictions have been loosened for people travelling from Latvia, Lithuania and Finland.
As of Monday, June 1, outgoing air connections will be permitted to states with a COVID-19 infection rate of 25 per 100,000 or less. Entry from third (non-EU countries) including the Russian Federation and Ukraine will remain barred until at least June 15.
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Editor: Helen Wright