Starting from Monday, 2 November, only people arriving in Estonia from Finland don’t need to self-isolate; people arriving from the rest of Europe are subjected to self-quarantine.
The mandatory self-isolation does not apply to passengers arriving in Estonia from a country of the European Union and the European Economic Area, the Schengen area and a country included on the common list of the EU with an infection rate below 50 people per 100,000 inhabitants, the Estonian foreign ministry said in a statement.
On 29 October, the Estonian government decided to shorten the self-isolation period for people crossing the border as well as the quarantine for people who have been in close contact with infected people from 14 to 10 days.
Based on the coronavirus infection rate, starting from 2 November, the 10-day self-isolation requirement applies to people arriving in Estonia from Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Vatican and the United Kingdom.
The self-isolation requirement does not apply to passengers arriving from Finland. Passengers arriving in Estonia from Finland are also not required to take a test.
Latvia and Lithuania enjoy certain exceptions
The self-isolation requirement does not apply to asymptomatic people who have been in Lithuania and Latvia in the past 14 days and have arrived in Estonia directly from Lithuania and Latvia, if they have taken a coronavirus test within 48 hours before their arrival in Estonia and the result is negative. When travelling to these countries from Estonia and returning to Estonia, it is possible to take the coronavirus test in Estonia and return to normal life in case of a negative result. It is required to remain in self-isolation while waiting for the test results.
Also, people who are arriving in Estonia from Latvia or Lithuania, if they come for the purpose of working, studying or receiving health services or for family reasons or transit, don’t need to self-isolate, the foreign ministry said.
It is also possible to travel to Estonia from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Uruguay. People arriving from Uruguay are subject to a 10-day self-isolation; anyone arriving from the remaining countries listed is not required to quarantine.
People returning to Estonia from high-risk countries of COVID-19 can shorten the mandatory self-isolation and return to work by testing for the novel coronavirus at the airport and seaport.
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Estonian foreign ministry advises against any non-essential international travel.
Cover: The port of Helsinki terminal. Photo by Tom Brunberg/Unsplash.
