Travelers from 29 countries need to quarantine from September 21

From Monday (September 21) travelers from 29 European countries will have to quarantine for two weeks on arrival to Estonia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
The restriction on freedom of movement will not apply to passengers starting their trips in Cyprus, Latvia, Finland and the Vatican.
Lithuanian's will not need to quarantine either as Estonia lifted the limit to 25 per 100,000 for Lithuania, Latvia and Finland last week.
All travelers who start their journey in a country which has a higher infection rate than an average of 16 new infections per 100,000 people over a two week period - or passes through one - will need to isolate for 14 days on arrival.
Below is a list of countries and their infection rates. Countries above 16 are in bold.
- Andorra 313,7
- Austria 88,9
- Belgium 93,4
- Bulgaria 27,5
- Croatia 78,1
- Czech Republic 166,2
- Cyprus 6,9
- Denmark 69,2
- Finland 10,9
- France 172,1
- Germany 24,3
- Greece 31,7
- Hungary 94,0
- Iceland 21,9
- Ireland 57,4
- Italy 33,3
- Latvia 4,4
- Liechtenstein 7,8
- Lithuania 18,8**
- Luxembourg 129,7
- Malta 127,4
- Monaco 117,8
- Netherlands 90,2
- Norway 27,5
- Poland 19,6
- Portugal 71,5
- Romania 89,8
- San Marino 23,2
- Slovakia 34,1
- Slovenia 48,9
- Spain 292,2
- Sweden 30,3
- Switzerland 65,0
- United Kingdom 61,8
- Vatican 0,0
See the list and advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in English here.
Based on a recommendation from the Council of the European Union, Estonia can open its border to 11 countries outside the European Union which have a low infection rate.
Travelers from Australia, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand and Uruguay can enter Estonia and do not need to quarantine on arrival.
Starting from September 21, a two-week restriction on the freedom of movement applies to passengers arriving from Canada and Tunisia.
The foreign ministry updates its quarantine list every Friday afternoon and the restrictions come into effect the following Monday.
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against any non-essential international travel.
What does quarantine mean?
This means that within 14 calendar days of their arrival in Estonia, people must refrain from unnecessary contacts and can leave their place of residence or permanent accommodation only for seeing a doctor and shopping food, essentials and medicines, or in emergencies.
Coronavirus testing opportunity for people arriving in Estonia
From September 1, people returning to Estonia from COVID-19 risk countries will have the opportunity to be tested for coronavirus at the airport and port in order to shorten the 14-day restriction on the freedom of movement and allow them to return to work sooner.
Testing is free of charge for Estonian residents; foreigners can take the test at a cost of €67 and can pay on the spot by card.
Until the test results are known, one must be in complete self-isolation. In the case of a negative result, the person will be notified via text message, positive results will be communicated over the phone. The result will also be visible when entering the health information system with an ID card.
In the case of a negative test result, the person must stay in limited self-isolation for the first seven days following arrival to Estonia, i.e. the person can go to work and, for example, a shop, but unnecessary contacts must be avoided. The person should also keep their distance from others while at work.
A second test must be performed no earlier than seven days after the results of the first test, and if it is also negative, a person can resume their daily life.
This means that after two negative tests a person will not be subjected to the full 14-day period of restriction on the freedom of movement, which applies to everyone coming from high-risk countries who did not undergo testing.
More information about testing can be found here.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright