POV: You Test Positive for Covid In Iceland

With the world opening back up (kind of) and people venturing outside their homes, and countries once again, I decided to go on a trip. Iceland was one of the easier countries to go to as a US citizen with covid restrictions, and I had been there before but it was, and still is, a place that I wanted to go back to.

When I booked my ticket the entry requirements for Iceland were such that you needed to show a negative test even if you were fully vaccinated. That was lifted on July 1, so when I went on July 20 all I had to do was have my vaccination card with me. Or, you could be unvaccinated and show a negative test taken within a 72 period prior to entry. Partway into my trip, mask regulations got reinstated, and the entry requirements changed to having to show a negative test again, even if you are vaccinated. The United States even put Iceland in the red.

Getting Tested

To travel back to the United States, everyone has to show a negative covid test. United Airlines is partnering with eMed, and at-home testing kit that you can take on your trip with you so that you don’t have to go to a local testing site wherever you are.

Note: These testing kits are only available to be shipped to the continental US and you cannot share your test kits with anyone else. I saw a video on TikTok and the video had at least 100k views and the poster was giving incorrect information, saying you could order a set of kits and share them with your traveling partners. That is not true! Why? Because during check out, your kits are registered to your name, and when you take the test, in order to get the results sent to you, you have to log online and you will video chat with a test proctor who will ask to see a government ID and scan the QR code on your kit to make sure they match up.

I was set to return home on July 29th so I took my test the evening of the 28th. Aaaaand it was positive. Did I feel sick? No. Did I feel like the world just ended? Heck yes.

I researched what that now meant for me and saw that I needed to isolate, but it wasn’t clear HOW to do that. I obviously was not going to get let on a plane anytime soon, so to get into Iceland’s covid system I registered for a rapid covid test the next morning (7/29). Well, that confirmed I was positive, so they had me come back for a PCR test. I took my PCR test around 11:00am and sat in a park for the rest of the day, with no idea where I was spending the night. Finally 4:30pm rolls around and I still hadn’t heard back about my PCR and at that point I didn’t know if I would hear back that same day, so I found a hotel online that looked like it had availability and got a room for the night.

*In Iceland a positive rapid does not officially make you positive for covid, i.e. you are still allowed on public transportation (though I didn’t take any)

Pre Isolation

Around 7:00pm I got a phone call saying that my PCR was positive. The woman asked where I was and if I wanted to be transported to the isolation hotel that night or go in the morning. I opted for the morning as it had been a long day of being overwhelmed and freaking out because I didn’t really have any idea what was happening yet- until that phone call!

The government didn’t tell the hotel I was staying at that I tested positive, so in the morning I let them know on my way out. The two women at the desk were quite flustered by my remark, and rightfully so, but they were very kind and wished me well. The covid car, a hospital van decked out in plastic and a fully outfitted driver, took me to the isolation hotel. The woman who showed me to my room was super nice (honestly everyone who I encountered along this covid experience in Iceland was).

Isolation

Isolation started out as 14 days minimum, with the last 7 days needing to be symptom free and deemed healthy and releasable back into the public. I was quite congested in the beginning but I don’t know if that was covid doing its thing, or a result of my crying, lol. On my second day, sometime between breakfast and lunch I lost my taste and smell. Lunch was a salmon dish, a food that I’ve only recently started to enjoy and eat. I’ve always found the taste to be too strong but I’m trying to get over that distaste. As I was eating the salmon lunch, I thought to myself that this salmon didn’t have a strong taste, and then I realized what had happened. I only lost my taste and smell for a few days- which was lucky since some people lose it for an extended amount of time. But other than those symptoms, I was feeling great.

Upon my admission to the isolation hotel, I got a phone call from a doctor at the hospital in Reykavik, Landspitali. It was to check in on my health and to let me know when I would receive my next check in. I had read online that they called you everyday, but I guess if you were no worse for wear they didn’t care about getting an update from you each day, which was fine with me.

Now, how did I spend my time you ask? My work ended up sending me a laptop via Amazon so I could get some stuff done. I didn’t mind, because what else was I supposed to do? My mom also sent me a couple items on Amazon as a little care package. I watched some movies, watched alooooot of TikToks, played some Candy Crush, texted friends, did some Youtube exercise videos (Chloe Ting), and slept in eeeeveryday. At first I had no idea how I was going to last 14 days without going insane, but it ended up being ok. However, it did make me think about how cruel solitary confinement is in prison. At least I had things to entertain me while they’ve got nothing except four cell walls and their thoughts!

I lucked out with the room I was in as it had a window looking at the ocean and the entrance to the hotel- so I could see who was coming in and out. Not a ton of traffic, but I was able to do some light people watching. There was one day where an American woman was being admitted, and a man was being taken away on a stretcher. Some people with front facing rooms like mine would also get visitors outside. One night a Jewish family came to sing Shabbat, and another night a car drove by at midnight singing happy birthday.

Now, let’s talk food. I got three meals a day and a drink to go with it. The first day I got Appelsin (orange soda, aka my favorite), so the second day I said no to it, but I wish I had said yes because those were the only two days they offered it :( Other than that it was sparkling water and Pepsi. The food was pretty average and there were some meals that repeated themselves (and breakfast always repeated itself). But, I actually really enjoyed what they offered for breakfast and I looked forward to it each day. The meals never came at the same time, and one day it was 8pm and I hadn’t received dinner yet so I had to phone down to the lobby and ask for it. I had a few snacks with me (Haribo gummy bears and Pringles), but I held off on eating them once I lost my taste and small since I figured it would be a waste to eat them then. We didn’t get any snacks so I ate these sparingly once I opened them.

Maybe on my fifth day, the doctor called me and informed me that the isolation period was reduced from a minimum of fourteen days to ten days. That was first I heard of that news, and it also meant that I wouldn’t have to switch my flight again. I had rescheduled my original flight for fourteen days past testing infected (United’s rules), but I later realized that I would need a day or two of leeway. But, with the new isolation minimum I would have that leeway now.

If I stuck my phone out the window, I could see the sunset

Post Isolation

I booked a room in a hostel for when I got out of isolation. I would be released on a Monday, and fly back on a Friday. This put me back ~$350.00 versus $1.5k+ had I booked a hotel for the week. Thank goodness the Icelandic government and Red Cross footed the bill for the isolation hotel! My first meal out of isolation was lunch at Apotek Restaurant & Bar. It was so good, I got a few different appetizers and some cocktails. Such a treat after my meals in isolation! I spent the rest of my time exploring downtown (I got to know it pretty well), did a whale watching tour, booked a bus to the highlands (Landmannalaugar), and downloaded an electric scooter app and rode down by the water each day. I wish I had gotten into the electric scooters earlier because they were soooo fun.

I received a certificate of health from the Department of Health, and when I was able to upload my “Travel Ready Documents” for United, they did not accept the certificate without a copy of my positive covid test results. But guess what, Iceland doesn’t provide you with your positive results. So that meant I had to go get tested again to be able to leave. I was told to take a rapid test instead of a PCR because a PCR would show a positive result still. So, I held my breath as I awaited my rapid results and thank goodness they were negative. I could go home!

Of course, my trip’s struggles did not end there. My flight from Reykjavik to Newark had a maintenance issue that turned into a deplaning and ~4 hour delay. There was a chance the flight would be cancelled entirely. Since I got my covid test at the 72 hour mark (a negative covid test taken no more than 72 hours is required for flying back into the US), I was worried what would happen if we flew out the next day. Others were concerned, and very vocal about that as well, and the United employee at the gate said that if the flight was rebooked within a 24 hour window we would not have to get retested, but if it was rebooked out of the 24 hour window, we would have to get tested again. Thankfully the maintenance issue got resolved and we were off.

While we were in the process of deplaning, my seat mate (only two of us in the row) and I got to chatting and I told him about testing positive and having to isolate. He was next up in a line to rebook on a different flight when they made the announcement that we could get back on. We ended up chatting the rest of the flight and he made sure I made it to my connecting flight, which we weren’t even sure I had one until we landed in Newark. Shout out to Peter from Saba Island! United automatically rebooked me which was so nice and saved me the hassle of trying to figure that out myself. My plane from Newark to Boston was also delayed, though thankfully very minimally, around 20 minutes.

After a long day of traveling, I finally made it home. Despite the trials and tribulations of this trip, I look back on it fondly and I can’t wait to go to Iceland again. Something about that country will always pull me back!

Cara HolmesSeptember 1, 2021icelandComment