There are now 20 confirmed cases in Iceland of COVID-19, RÚV reports. All of them contracted the virus overseas and returned to Iceland from two confirmed locations: a hotel in Verona, Italy or from Austria via the airport in Munich.
Other passengers of the flights returning from these locations are amongst the 300 currently in quarantine, and there are no known cases of the coronavirus amongst the general populace. No one is hospitalised, nor is anyone seriously ill. Samples taken from those quarantined are still being tested, so there is a chance more confirmed cases may arise from this group.
The Directorate advises that if you have been to a high-risk area for the virus recently, or been in contact with anyone who has, to monitor your health closely. High risk areas include “China, four provinces in Northern Italy (Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and Piedmont), South-Korea, and Iran”.
If you begin to display symptoms of COVID-19 within 14 days of such contact, you are urged to call 1700 from an Icelandic phone number or +354 544 4113 from any other phone, where a health care professional will give you further information and guidance. The symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and aches in the bones.
To prevent transmission or contact with the virus, the cardinal rule is to wash your hands frequently before eating and after touching common surfaces, using the detailed hand-washing guide shown above, and avoid touching your face. If you must sneeze or cough, do so into the crook of your elbow or into a tissue. It also naturally follows that you should avoid contact with sick people.
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