It is still dangerous to party all night long. Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason said at a press conference that there is a great risk in people coming together to party far into the night, RÚV reports. Crowd congestion at places of entertainment is one of the largest and most serious risks of infection.
“As things stand now, I suggest that we continue to close at 11 PM, and we have discussed that with Iceland’s Chief of Police,” he said. “Most people agree with that.”
Þórólfur wants to hold off on extending opening hours of bars and restaurants for as long as possible. “I think this is the most serious and largest danger of contagion, to have people partying together downtown in a crowded space,” he said. “That, I believe, is the greatest danger and we have experience of this and information from abroad.”
He also discussed the possibility of border restrictions being tightened in early July if more infections are detected due to the border opening on June 15th. The opening of borders to countries outside the Schengen region depends on successfully opening the borders to countries in the Schengen region.
“I think it’s important to learn from the experience of the first two weeks travellers who are coming solely from Europe,” he said. “It’s possible we’ll need to change our focus when the outer border opens. Perhaps take samples instead from passengers who are coming from countries outside of the Schengen Area.”
As ever, those looking for more information or advice should go to the Icelandic Government’s excellent COVID-19 help page.
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