A fifth quarantine hotel opened this weekend in Reykjavík, as the number of tourists is expected to increase significantly this summer.
Additional hotel converted
The fifth hotel to convert into a full-scale quarantine accommodation is Hotel Rauðará, reported mbl. This hotel had been previously used for domestic quarantine but has now joined four other hotels such as Fosshótel Reykjavík, Fosshótel Lind, Hótel Stormur, and Hótel Klettur to accommodate incoming tourists.
The number of tourists is increasing
Around five hundred guests stayed in these hotels over the weekend in the Capital Area, and Gylfi Þór Þorsteinsson, director of the Red Cross’ epidemic centers, expected that number to increase to six hundred; this made it necessary to create additional rooms at Hotel Rauðará. More countries are also predicted to be added to the government’s red list of high-risk countries.
Gylfi mentions that most guests are arriving from Poland. However, he explains that those coming from Spain and Portugal may soon be able to apply for exemption from quarantine hotels; this should alleviate some of the pressure placed on the hotels in the next few months.
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