Corona Virus

COVID-19 status in Greenland

Greenland has few amount of cases of COVID-19 at the moment but in a preemptive move on the 13th March  the Danish Government closed off the borders to non-Danish citizens who do not have a recognized purpose for entering the Danish Realm including Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Additionally Greenlandic passenger transportation – both domestic and international are cancelled for until 3rd April starting at midnight on Friday the 20th of March.

Residents will be allowed to enter, but tourism and visiting family will not be an accepted reason for entering. This will be in function until the 13th April 2020 with the possibility of prolonging according to the situation at that given time.

There are NO travel restrictions for international travelers who wish to leave Greenland. However we do recommend that you contact the relevant embassy in Denmark or your Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whom are able to guide you on how to travel home in the best and safest way.

Both Air Greenland and Air Iceland Connect are allowing rebooking of trips to Greenland within a certain period. Check their individual websites for more information.

The Epidemic Commision in Greenland is in close contact with the Danish Health Ministry and is using World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) guidelines. They would like to prevent infection as much as possible. 

“The smaller the community in the country, the smaller the nursing clinics are and the more vulnerable the situation. That’s why we need to limit traffic around the country as much as possible”, says Bjørn Tegner Bay, chief of police in Greenland and head of the Epidemic Commission.

General Travel Advice

The World Health Organisation advises you to:

• Stay at home if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as headache and slight runny nose, until you recover. Why? Avoiding contact with others and visits to medical facilities will allow these facilities to operate more effectively and help protect you and others from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
• If you develop fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical advice promptly as this may be due to a respiratory infection or other serious condition. Call in advance and tell your provider of any recent travel or contact with travelers. Why? Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also help to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 and other viruses.