No mandatory quarantine despite growing pressure

The government is not planning to impose mandatory quarantine for arrivals in spite of increasing pressure from politicians and the general public

Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen wants to stick with the current policy of voluntary self-quarantine for incoming travellers

Høgni Djurhuus

28.04.2020 - 13:16

No bill regarding mandatory quarantine for incoming travellers is on its way to Parliament.

So says Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen, who since the coronavirus outbreak has been favouring personal responsibility and individual liberties over imposing rules regarding incoming travellers.

Pressure is rising

But many disagree with this view, including both of the big opposition parties, pointing out that the only infection risk remaining in the Faroe Islands comes from incoming travellers, referring to figures which show that the three individuals who have tested COVID-19 positive since 6 April all recently arrived from abroad.

A petition calling for laws which grant the police the authority to force arrivals to go self-quarantine has so far garnered 424 signatures.

Translated by prosa.fo