coronavirus
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COVID-Cast #8: First Icelandic Death, Spike In Transmission & Almost 10,000 In Quarantine
In this episode, we discuss the recent spike in COVID-19 transmissions. Iceland is currently headed towards higher numbers than initial predictions told. We also recently experienced the first death of an Icelander from COVID-19. As well, we talk about the almost 10,000…
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COVID-19 Screening Swab Shortage Continues
20,000 nasal swabs provided by Icelandic manufacturer Össur have been declared unfit for use in COVID-19 testing, RÚV reports. This comes as a blow to deCODE and the National University Hospital as both are struggling to source the swabs required in coronavirus…
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Icelandic Olympian Speaks Out About Coronavirus Shame
Icelandic Olympian pole vaulter, Þórey Edda Elísdóttir, opened up in an interview with Vísir yesterday about the shame she experienced after finding out that she could have unknowingly transmitted COVID-19 to several others in her community. Þórey and her husband are currently…
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COVID-19 Tracking App In Development
Officials are developing an app that will help to track potential COVID-19 infections. The app will use GPS to locate people who may have been in close contact with confirmed coronavirus patients during the asymptomatic phase of infection, Vísir reports. It is…
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Sportacus Offers Words Of Hope To Icelanders
Magnús Scheving, perhaps better known as Sportacus from the Icelandic children’s TV show, Lazy Town, has offered his insight into the Icelandic response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In an interview with Heimi Karlsson and Gulla Helga on the í Bítið programme on…
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Patient Infected With Two Strains of COVID-19 In Iceland
It’s been confirmed that an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 in Iceland has been infected by two strains of the virus simultaneously. The second strain is a mutation of the original novel coronavirus. It is thought that this could be the…
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Changes to Strætó Services Due To COVID-19
The Strætó bus service has announced new measures to keep both drivers and passengers safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. Passengers in the capital area are now prohibited from entering buses through the front doors and there is a tape barrier roping off…
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COVID-Cast #7: 20 Person Gathering Ban, Travel Restrictions & Parliament Infections
The start of a new week in Iceland comes with a whole host of new measures in the fight against COVID-19. Travel restrictions, a new 20 person gathering ban and the closure of swimming pools, sports centres, libraries and entertainment venues have…
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COVID-19 Update: 588 Cases, Iceland Steps Up Response, MP Infected
As the government continues to ramp up its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, here are the latest developments in the Iceland’s battle against the virus. It is Monday, March 23rd at the time of writing. Today’s data At the time of writing,…
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Kári Stefánsson Slams Data Protection Authority For Weekend Inaction
Over the weekend deCODE CEO, Kári Stefánsson took to Facebook to air his grievances with the Icelandic Data Protection Authority. In a lengthy tirade, he berated officials for taking the weekend off whilst deCODE’s application to release new COVID-19 research was being…
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Gathering Ban Update: No More Than 20 People At A Time In An Establishment
Tighter restrictions are being levied upon the people in Iceland in the form of a stricter gathering ban, which takes effect at midnight tonight. These restrictions state that no more than 20 people may gather at a time, which is a heavy…
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Member of Parliament Diagnosed With COVID-19
Smári McCarthy of the Pirate Party in Parliament has been diagnosed with COVID-19 over the weekend, according to his Facebook page. He went into self-quarantine over a week ago, when he noticed that he was getting a cough, and on Friday went…
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Covid-Cast #6: First Covid-19 death confirmed and more than 400 with the virus
About 400 people have the Covid-19 virus in Iceland now, the first Covid-19-related death has been confirmed, and a crew on a trawler has the virus. Also, Iceland have agreed to participate in the EU travel ban. This information is not in…
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COVID-19 In Iceland: Parliament Scraps Schedule, 1,000 Infections Predicted
New Plan for the Alþingi From now until 20th April the Icelandic Parliament will only address matters directly concerning the COVID-19. The decision to withdraw the Alþingi‘s current work schedule was announced yesterday afternoon as Frettabladid reports. The move marks yet another…
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COVID-Cast #5: Numbers Spike & The Controversial Debate About Quarantining Tourists
Valur Grettisson and Hannah Jane Cohen of The Reykjavík Grapevine give you the updates on the status of COVID-19 in Iceland. More are getting sick while tests are running out. As well, Icelanders returning from abroad are being quarantined, while tourists coming…
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COVID-19 In Iceland: 330 Cases, Quarantine For All Returning Icelanders
Today is Thursday, March 19th, and here are the most recent COVID-19 updates in Iceland. New quarantine measures As of today, all Icelanders returning from abroad will be required to under-go a two-week quarantine. This is following the expansion of areas considered…
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COVID-Cast #4: EU Ban, Tourist Death, Social Distancing & More
Valur Grettisson, editor-in-chief, and Hannah Jane Cohen, listings director and culture editor at the Reykjavík Grapevine, discuss the later developments of COVID-19 in Iceland. On the roster for this episode: One tourist died in Iceland yesterday. While he tested positive for COVID-19,…
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Icelanders Send Condolences To Australian COVID-19 Widow
Following yesterday’s tragic announcement that Iceland had sustained its first suspected COVID-19 fatality, a Facebook page has been created to express support for the victim’s widow. The victim, an Australian man in his 40s, died in Húsavík on Monday. Although he tested…
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COVID-19 Update: EU Closes Borders
The European Union has announced a 30-day closure of external borders to non-EU travellers. All member states have also approved prohibiting non-essential travel between member states during the period. People from Iceland and other EEA states will still be able to enter…
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Love In The Time Of Corona: Icelandic Dating App Adapts To COVID-19
The dating scene is hard enough to negotiate at the best of times, but the current COVID-19 pandemic has brought a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘love-sick.’ Despite the challenging circumstances, the Icelanders behind dating app The One are determined not…
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COVID-Cast #3: The Schengen lockdown, swimming pools and something about the economy
Valur Grettisson, editor-in-chief, and Andie Sophia Fontaine, news editor at The Reykjavík Grapevine go over the newest developments in the Covid-19 crisis in Iceland. More people are affected, as health workers take more samples. The Icelandic economy is in dire straits but…
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Update: Tourist Who Died With No COVID-19 Symptoms, Despite Testing Positive
More information has come in about the tourist who died in Húsavík yesterday, who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Chief epidemiologist for the Directorate of Health Þórólfur Guðnason addressed the issue at a press conference today, Vísir reports. The man…
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BREAKING: Tourist Who Had COVID-19 Has Died, Cause Still Unknown
A foreign tourist seeking medical attention at the health clinic in Húsavík due to being seriously ill, who subsequently tested positive for the novel coronavirus, has passed away, Vísir reports. It must be emphasised that the cause of death is still unknown,…