Travelers from UK no longer need to quarantine on arrival in Estonia
The bar on quarantine-free travel from the United Kingdom to Estonia has now been lifted, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.
The ministry told ERR News Tuesday that data was reviewed Monday, following a government decision on the same day to both open the Estonian border to residents of 14 low-infection, non-EU countries and ease restrictions on third-country (non-EU/EEA) nationals on a temporary residence permit for work or study.
This means that arrivals from the U.K. do not need to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Estonia, as had previously been the case.
In fact, the foreign affairs ministry lifted the threshold of positive cases per 100,000 inhabitants by one, to 16, meaning travelers from countries with a reported COVID-19 rate of below 16 per 100,000 in the previous 14 days can enter Estonia without quarantining. The previous benchmark had been 15 per 100,000. The U.K.'s current figure is 15.9 per 100,000.
Travelers from countries where the number of infected persons per 100,000 people is more than 16 must remain in isolation, which is organised in cooperation with the employer or educational institution.
Both transport and living during the 14-day period of self-isolation must be ensured, and the person must pass two coronavirus tests, one of which is performed upon arrival in Estonia and the other on the 14th day of stay. The employee can start working in Estonia on the 15th day of their stay in Estonia if their second test is negative.
Restrictions also apply on arrival in Estonia from countries where the number of infected people is unknown and where there is a higher risk of the virus spreading. The list of these countries is published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The updated list, including reported coronavirus rate per 100,000, as published by the foreign affairs ministry is as follows (travelers from states in bold would need to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Estonia):
- Austria (10.9).
- Belgium (10.5).
- Bulgaria (26.4).
- Croatia (20.3).
- Czech Republic (18.8).
- Cyprus (1.4).
- Denmark (7.6).
- Finland (2.0).
- France (10.1).
- Germany (7.4).
- Greece (2.4).
- Hungary (0.8).
- Iceland (11.7).
- Ireland (3.0).
- Italy (5.1).
- Latvia (0.7).
- Liechtenstein (2.6).
- Lithuania (1.4).
- Luxembourg (64.2).
- Malta (1.6).
- Netherlands (6.1).
- Norway (3.4).
- Poland (10.6).
- Portugal (46.7).
- Romania (25.6).
- Slovakia (3.2).
- Slovenia (8.7).
- Spain (9.7).
- Sweden (152.2).
- Switzerland (11.3).
- United Kingdom (15.9).
Additionally, based on the recommendation of the Council of the European Union, Estonia will open its border to 14 countries outside the European Union that have a low infection rate. From July 6 2020, residents of Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay can travel to Estonia.
Travelers from Montenegro (66.7 coronavirus cases per 100,000) and Serbia (37.0) still face the quarantine requirement.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte