Travelers from 24 countries must quarantine on arrival in Estonia
Travelers from 24 countries must quarantine on arrival in Estonia from Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The United Kingdom was added to the list.
A country is added to the quarantine list if the reported rate of coronavirus is more than 16 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the preceding 14 days, or removed from the list if the reported number dips below that.
The full, updated list with reported COVID-19 rates per 100,000 inhabitants is below and takes effect from Monday, August 24. It can also be viewed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Arrivals from countries in bold italics must undergo 14 days' quarantine upon arrival in Estonia.
- Andorra (111.6)
- Austria (33.0 cases)
- Belgium (54.5)
- Bulgaria (30.0)
- Croatia (47.2)
- Czech Republic (31.0)
- Cyprus (21.3)
- Denmark (30.1)
- Finland (5.6)
- France (51.0)
- Germany (16.5)*
- Greece (26.2)
- Hungary (4.6)
- Iceland (30.3)
- Ireland (26.6)
- Italy (11.5)
- Latvia (2.7)
- Liechtenstein (28.7)
- Lithuania (12.8)
- Luxembourg (91.9)
- Malta (114.3)
- Monaco (69.5)
- Netherlands (41.6)
- Norway (14.1)
- Poland (26.0)
- Portugal (28.5)
- Romania (87.9)
- San Marino (8.7)
- Slovakia (11.4)
- Slovenia (15.0)
- Spain (145.0)
- Sweden (37.6)
- Switzerland (33.1)
- United Kingdom (21.2)
- Vatican (0.0)
*According to Government of the Republic Order No. 172, the restriction on the freedom of movement is not applied in cases where a country's number of positive tests per 100,000 inhabitants remains between 16 to 17.6, over a period of two weeks.
The 16 per 100,000 figure set by the foreign ministry is separate from a limit set by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications of 25 reported COVID-19 infections in the preceding 14 days, beyond which direct flights between Estonia and that country are barred.
The foreign ministry updates its quarantine list every Friday afternoon for the restrictions to come into effect the following Monday.
Travelers from outside the EU/EEA
Travelers from Australia have to follow the 14-day self-quarantine rule on arrival in Estonia. Notwithstanding recent reports of New Zealand receiving its first coronavirus case in over three months, travelers from that country do not need to quarantine when arriving in that country either.
Travelers from Canada, Georgia, Japan, South Korea, Rwanda, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay also do not have to undergo quarantine when traveling to Estonia, following the Council of the European Union's review of the situation published August 7.
Easing of self-quarantine restrictions when taking test immediately after arriving
From September 1, travelers arriving from COVID-19 high-risk countries (i.e. above the 16 per 100,000 limit) who test negative for the virus immediately upon arrival in Estonia do not have to self-quarantine if they have to enter the country for work purposes, and that work is "absolutely crucial", the foreign ministry says.
Individuals must in that case pass two coronavirus tests within an interval of no more than a week. After taking the first test upon arrival in Estonia, they must quarantine until they receive the results, and in the first seven days of being in Estonia they can only leave home for their work or for essential purposes.
Additionally, these individuals must take another primary coronavirus test within seven days of the first, after which, if this is negative too, they will have no movement restrictions applied to them and do not have to quarantine under any circumstance.
Those unable to take a coronavirus test upon arrival, for whatever reason, must follow the 14-day self-quarantine rule as before.
Self-quarantining means a person can only leave their place of residence or permanent place of stay after arriving in Estonia to obtain food, medicine, and other essentials, through a 14-day period.
Individuals may also leave their home if instructed to by a healthcare professional. More information can be found on the Police and Border Guard Board's website.
Ministry advises against traveling to high risk countries
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly advises against international travel with the exception of European countries with a reported rate of 16 per 100,000 or below. If international travel is unavoidable, the foreign ministry recommends looking at its website when planning international travel, registering with the ministry, and checking coronavirus travel restrictions in the destination country.
Information about the coronavirus and restrictions on the freedom of movement is also available on the Kriis.ee website, or by calling the national helpline on 1247 (or +372 600 1247 from outside Estonia).
If you are visiting Estonia you can now download "HOIA" the free coronavirus exposure notification app, which will alert you if you have been in close contact with anyone someone who is later diagnosed with COVID-19.
Read more about the app and how to download it here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Helen Wright