One of the unforeseen consequences of 2019-nCoV, better known as the coronavirus, is that Iceland is fast running out of stocks of vape supplies, such as coils and machines. A vape shop worker that the Grapevine spoke with says that the most popular products will be sold out within two weeks time if the situation does not change.
While the Directorate of Health has stated unequivocally that it is safe to order goods from China, shipping Chinese-made vape equipment to Iceland is not the issue. Rather, it is the fact that the factories which make the items are either understaffed or, in some cases, temporarily closed for business.
The Grapevine has a copy of an email that Halldór Björn Hansen, the manager of Drekinn Vape Shop, received from a supplier. The apologetic email states that many are still not back to work at their factories, which will delay shipping.
“All the shops are starting to get short on many things and out of others,” Halldór told us. “In two weeks, some shops will be out of all the most popular products.”
The virus has not caused an outbreak in Iceland yet, but the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management has issued a “state of uncertainty” over the situation.
What vape products are yet available varies from location to location, Halldór says, but things are not likely to change any time soon, and Iceland’s vaping community is indeed dealing with its own state of uncertainty. While most vape fluid comes from the US and UK, those hoping to buy new coils and other hardware could soon be missing out.
“It depends on the stock each shop has,” he tells us. “But nothing new will arrive until this [coronavirus] is on the way down.”
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