From Iceland — Member Of Icelandic Eurovision Team Diagnosed With Covid

Member Of Icelandic Eurovision Team Diagnosed With Covid

Published May 17, 2021

Alina Maurer
Photo by
Art Bicnick

Yesterday, a member of the Icelandic Eurovision group was tested positive for COVID-19. The team has already traveled to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where the competition takes place at the end of the week. Daði and Gagnamagnið are first competing in the second semi-final on Thursday.

According to the European Broadcasting Union, the affected person has already gone into isolation, the other members were tested and now have to self-isolate for five days until the situation is evaluated. The announcement further stated that the Icelandic delegation was therefore not able to attend the Turquoise Carpet event yesterday.

Unconfirmed who is infected

Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, the media representative of the Eurovision group in Rotterdam, confirms in a conversation with Vísir that one member of the group is infected with Covid. He does not want to reveal who was diagnosed, but stated that the person in question is not in Iceland’s Eurovision show. There are six in the scene, Daði Freyr and the five members of Gagnamagnið, but it is confirmed that nevertheless, they will be on stage on Thursday evening.

Even if the Icelandic team could not compete live on the main stage, Iceland would still be in the competition. All aspects of the competition have been recorded in the event of a cancellation due to COVID-19.

The whole group is already vaccinated

Rúnar does not want to say whether the person has COVID-19 symptoms, but states that everyone in the Icelandic group who had not been vaccinated against the virus already, was vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine about ten days ago, shortly before heading to Rotterdam. It is hoped that the results of the Covid screening will be received by noon today. 

This is not the first case of infection, occurring in the preparation for Eurovision this year. On Saturday, a member of the Polish team was diagnosed with COVID-19 as well.

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