With the TMW festival dates on 27 – 30 August drawing closer, it is time to start thinking about making travel arrangements, if you plan to participate in person. However, of course, the coronavirus hasn’t disappeared in the meantime, so here are some considerations to keep in mind ahead of your potential visit.
What’s the virus situation in Estonia?
For starters, it is important to know that thanks to extensive testing and social distancing measures applied from March to May, it is currently safe in Estonia. The infection rate is 1,9 per 100,000 persons in the last 14 days, 3 persons have been hospitalised in July, and according to the most recent statistics from the morning of 23 July, there are 16 active cases in Estonia.
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 above 16 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.
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.
How many people are coming to the festival and what is the festival doing about safety?
TMW 2020 will be organised in line with the rules in place for public events at the time of the event, in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. All events will observe the guidelines to make sure that:
In order to reduce the risk of infection, the sale of festival passes is limited, and further sales will focus on single tickets. The last 50 music festival passes at 65 euros are on sale on the TMW website. Single showcase tickets are on sale at Piletilevi.
TMW would like to emphasise that persons who have been infected with COVID-19 within 14 days before the event or persons who have had contact with a COVID-19 positive, as well as people with symptoms of acute respiratory infectious diseases (fever, dry cough, difficulty breathing), will not be allowed to attend the festival. Persons in the risk group (the elderly and those with chronic conditions) should avoid attending, if possible.
How can I get access to the festival if I don’t want to travel?
That’s perfectly understandable and that is also why we have virtual options for participation this year. The newly launched TMW DigiPRO passes for 75 euros enable full digital participation at the festival and conference and are on sale at the TMW webshop. Read more about the options for digital participation here.
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.
Our partners at Visit Estonia (Enterprise Estonia, EAS) have 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.