Border testing extended by a month

On 4 July, it was announced that mandatory Covid testing of everyone entering the country would cease on 1 August.

However, the epidemic commission today decided to extend border testing to August 31.

“The decision to stop border testing was made on 23 June, a time when the Covid situation looked a whole lot different to now,” says police chief Michael Boolsen, who heads the epidemic commission.

“We were aware at the time that the situation might change, so we were always open to the possibility of reinstating border testing beyond 1 August.”

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He adds that since about half of those who have tested positive in recent weeks arrive from abroad, it now makes sense to extend the border testing.

“By the end of next month, we expect to see a certain drop in the number of incoming travellers,” he says.

“Another reason is that not enough people have been vaccinated, which means we have not yet achieved the herd immunity that we had expected to achieve by 1 August.”

Vaccinated people also tested

The mandatory border testing will also apply to fully vaccinated arrivals.

“There have been incidences of fully vaccinated people who have been infected,” says Boolsen.

“They are less likely than unvaccinated people to pass the virus on to others, but there is a certain level of risk with vaccinated people, too.”

For further information about Covid-19 in the Faroes, visit corona.fo.

Translated by prosa.fo

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