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Minister Of Transport Speaks Out On Icelandair
Minister of Transport Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson told MBL that while it is important to secure transport to and from the country, limiting such transport is also crucial. He also mentioned that the government will pay for Icelandair’s losses due to a strict…
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Icelandic Government To Pay For Icelandair’s Losses
The Icelandic government will pay for Icelandair’s losses due to travel restrictions to Europe and the United States amid the COVID-19 epidemic, MBL reports. The agreement was reached on Friday evening, and is already in force. The government will pay a maximum…
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Icelandair Hotels Offer Free Accommodation For Essential Workers
Icelandair Hotels and Iceland’s National Health Insurance reached an agreement on Sunday to utilise facilities at Hotel Reykjavík Natura to accommodate essential workers including police, firefighters, and health care workers, at no cost. These accommodations will be used when the workers are…
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PJ Harvey Adds Theremin Player Hekla To Her Playlist
Indie rock musician PJ Harvey has added theremin virtuoso Hekla to her Spotify playlist “Petals Have Fallen.” This is a big deal. PJ Harvey is among the most influential female musicians of the 21st century, having collaborated with giants of the industry…
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Husband of Icelandic COVID-19 Victim Fighting For His Life
The husband of the 71-year-old Icelandic woman with asthma who died from COVID-19 on Monday March 23rd—the first Icelander to do so—is seriously ill, Stundin reports. The 75-year-old man has been put on a respirator in Landspítali hospital. He has had no…
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COVID-19 Spreading Slower In Iceland
Good news! COVID-19 is spreading slower in Iceland than in most other countries in the Schengen region. This is despite the fact that there are proportionally more tests conducted here than in most other places. Only the Faroe Islands have reported more…
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COVID-19: More Optimistic Future Predicted By Experts
Experts at the University of Iceland are predicting a more optimistic future in regards to COVID-19. Vísir reports that according to the new forecast model by the University of Iceland, between 1,500 and 2,300 Icelanders are expected to be diagnosed with COVID-19.…
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FREAK OUT! Massive Cocaine Shortage In Iceland
Bad news, party hounds: There is a serious shortage of cocaine in Iceland. Following an almost complete cessation of travel into the country, the drug market has essentially run dry. According to Fréttablaðið, illegal drugs in Iceland come from abroad—something you’d expect…
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Reykjavík Residents Fight COVID-19 With Teddy Bears
Residents of Reykjavík are placing teddy bears in their windows as part of a new game for children. The objective? Simply spot the stuffed animals and let the entertainment begin. For those kids unable to hang out with their friends or go…
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Tourists Sleeping In Vaðlaheiði Tunnel
Recently, foreign tourists journeying around Iceland in small motorhomes widely began seeking shelter overnight in the Vaðlaheiði tunnel in Akureyri. “I think this is mainly because of the weather outside,” Valgeir Bergmann, managing director of the tunnel, told RÚV today of the unusual…
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First Icelander Dies Due To COVID-19
An elderly woman died yesterday due to COVID-19. She is the first Icelander to succumb to this illness, and the second death in the country caused by the virus. An Australian man passed away in Húsavík last Monday, and it was confirmed…
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All Routes To Iceland Could Close Next Month
There is a good chance that all routes to Iceland, both by air and sea, will be closed by the end of this month. Foreign minister Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson has utilised his Facebook page to urge Icelanders abroad to return home before…
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Gathering Ban Update: No More Than 20 People At A Time In An Establishment
Tighter restrictions are being levied upon the people in Iceland in the form of a stricter gathering ban, which takes effect at midnight tonight. These restrictions state that no more than 20 people may gather at a time, which is a heavy…
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Member of Parliament Diagnosed With COVID-19
Smári McCarthy of the Pirate Party in Parliament has been diagnosed with COVID-19 over the weekend, according to his Facebook page. He went into self-quarantine over a week ago, when he noticed that he was getting a cough, and on Friday went…
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Iceland To Participate In EU Travel Ban
The government of Iceland has notified the European Commission that Iceland will participate in the EU ban on travel. The goal of the ban is to reduce the spread of the novel Coronavirus, Covid-19. The decision was reached at a meeting of…
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COVID-19 Expected To Peak Around April 10th
Surgeon General Alma Möller told RÚV that the COVID-19 epidemic could peak three Fridays from now, on April 10th. However, she said that this is predicted with great reservations, as there are a number of contingencies that simply cannot be anticipated. Experts…
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BREAKING: Eurovision 2020 Cancelled
In an unprecedented turn of events, for the first time in its 64 years of operation, Eurovision 2020 has been cancelled. Thanks to a certain virus, which will remain unnamed, the song competition will not take place in May, as was previously planned.…
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Music Festival “Aldrei Fór Ég Suður” Still On, Will Be Livestreamed
The annual music festival Aldrei fór ég suður, which has been held in Ísafjörður over Easter for nearly two decades, will not be cancelled due to the gathering ban and COVID-19. Instead, the music festival will be televised and streamed live on Saturday,…
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Wind, Rain, And Snow Throughout Northern Iceland
In case you didn’t have enough reasons to stay inside, the weather is supposed to get nasty over today and tomorrow. At the time of this writing, a yellow warning is in effect for most of the northern part of the country,…
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Ask An Architect: Why Are There No Ancient Buildings In Iceland?
The observant sightseer may notice when travelling the country that there are no ancient buildings to be found. Iceland was founded in 874, so it won’t have as storied an architectural history as, say, Rome, but we can’t help but wonder why…
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A Visit To Reykjanes Is Just What The Doctor Ordered
It’s flu season, which means that you or someone you know is likely to come down with some form or another of the plague. And I’m talking about the normal kind of flu—let’s not even broach the topic of coronavirus. I, too,…
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Eurovision 2020: Daði Freyr To Represent Iceland
Saturday was the final round to determine who will compete in Eurovision 2020. Five artists took the stage to determine who would ultimately go forth and represent Iceland in the song competition, which takes place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands this spring. Ultimately,…
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Coronavirus In Iceland: Three Confirmed, 300 Quarantined
A woman in her forties was diagnosed last night with the COVID-19 virus, also known as coronavirus, RÚV reports. Currently quarantined in her own home, she arrived in the country with an Icelandair flight from Munich, but had been skiing in northern…
