What’s the virus situation in Estonia?

Thanks to extensive testing and social distancing measures applied from March to May/June, the current infection rate is 8.5 per 100,000 persons in the last 14 days (according to the European Centers for Disease Control), 8 persons are currently hospitalised (on 16 August), and according to the most recent statistics from the morning of 16 August, there are 112 active cases in Estonia. A slight increase in infections has currently been localised to the southern city of Tartu. The increased testing and tracing efforts are successfully keeping the rate of new infections in Estonia down.

Since midsummer, the restrictions on public events have been gradually eased. The allowed attendance numbers are now at 1500 indoors and 2000 outdoors. Station Narva has made a decision though not to go up to the maximum allowed capacities, but keep our limits to 700 indoors and 1500 outdoors.

It has to be said that due to virus levels being down, Estonians are feeling relatively at ease now, so arriving, for example, from the UK, Tallinn might feel quite liberal. Wearing a mask is not compulsory in Estonia, but we will still make them available at the festival and have the team wearing them. If meeting people at a public event makes anyone uncomfortable, we wouldn’t persuade them to come, we’d like people to come if they feel comfortable with it.

Who can come to Estonia?

Estonian borders were reopened in June for travellers without symptoms of illness arriving from the European Union, the Schengen Area, and the United Kingdom; however, for countries with a coronavirus infection rate 16 and above quarantine requirements still apply. Due to current restrictions on travelling, the border is closed to visitors from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, the United States and Canada. The latest information on travel and quarantine requirements is available at the website of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://vm.ee/en/information-countries-and-quarantine-requirements-passengers.

What about health insurance, how does that work in Estonia?

One of the main concerns for travellers is what to do about health insurance, when most insurance companies have decided not to cover COVID-related expenses. We looked into what the best options would be to give our visitors a stronger sense of security ahead of their travels and compiled a few tips for trip preparations. For European citizens and residents, we recommend bringing along the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – most of you may have it already, however, do make sure that it is currently valid. Getting a new card usually takes about 10 days (may vary depending on country), so the sooner the better.

When you have an EHIC card, costs incurred here will be compensated either entirely or partially by the health care system in your home country, however, you may still have to pay on-site. That is where our new partner Salva Insurance can help out – as one of the few insurers offering COVID-19 related health insurance at an affordable price (ca 15 euros depending on your age and length of stay). Salva Insurance is partnering up with the festival to provide our visitors an extra sense of security during their travels. Policies for visitors from abroad are available by request at the following e-mail address: klaarika.kuusik@salva.ee. When you get health insurance coverage from our partner Salva, you are covered for unexpected acute illnesses and accidents. Medical treatment costs related to COVID-19 are also covered (costs of diagnosis, medications, hospital treatment). The insured sum is 30,000 euros. Read more about the coverage and terms and conditions. NB! Purchase the insurance before you leave your country.

The festival will create an environment that allows people to protect themselves, but it is the duty of every single visitor to adhere to safety rules. Creating a safe environment is a collaboration.

Therefore, we recommend you consider the following:

• avoid handshaking or greeting kisses
• avoid touching your face with your hands (as this is one major way the virus can spread)
• avoid touching surfaces in public areas
• thoroughly wash your hands or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• dry your hands thoroughly with clean paper tissue or single-use linen
• at your own discretion, wear a face mask

Additional information resources:

Official Government Office website with the latest information about the coronavirus situation, as well as FAQs and the opportunity to ask your own question and get an official answer: www.kriis.ee/en

Visit Estonia (Enterprise Estonia, EAS) has also put together a concise overview of travel-related issues, which we recommend reading ahead of the visit.

Estonian Public Broadcasting has also compiled an extensive overview of the entire span of the pandemic in Estonia, updated regularly with the latest information: https://news.err.ee/1061575/coronavirus-in-estonia-all-you-need-to-know