Chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason announced yesterday that there would be some relaxation of the domestic restrictions that are currently in place to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic, but border restrictions will remain unchanged for now. The relaxing of domestic restrictions will go into effect on September 7th.
The current social gathering ban, which is capped at 100 people, will be raised to 200 people. Furthermore, the so-called “two metre rule” of social distancing will be relaxed to a single metre.
In addition, the total number of people allowed in swimming pools and gyms will go from 50% of the maximum capacity to 75%. Contact sports will still be permitted, as well as theatre performances, provided there are no more than 200 people in attendance, with a one-metre distance between each audience member.
Border restrictions will remain in place as they are now; all arrivals to Iceland, regardless of country of origin, will continue to be screened at the border, be asked to go into quarantine, and then return for another screening. Masks will still be required in spaces where maintaining social distancing is not possible.
Þórólfur estimates that the next review of these restrictions, both domestic and at the border, will be reviewed some two or three weeks after these new rules go into effect.
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