Minister Who Lifted All Pandemic Measures Encourages People To Take Responsibility For Preventing Spread Of Virus

It has been nearly two weeks since all pandemic measures were lifted in Iceland, both domestically and at the border.

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Since then, the virus has spread rapidly, to where now one in ten Icelanders has contracted the virus, hospitalisations have risen significantly, and staff at Landspítali are stretched very thin to meet the increased workload.

As a result, Minister of Health Willum Þór Þórsson is now encouraging the general public to take personal responsibility in preventing the spread of the coronavirus and protect vulnerable groups from infection, RÚV reports.

“We all need to show responsibility with our behaviour in the pandemic wave currently sweeping over us,” a statement from the Ministry of Health says. “Staffing within the healthcare system has been, and continues to be, very demanding in all facets of the sector, including health clinics, nursing homes, and other necessary services. I encourage people to put limits on themselves in orer to protect vulnerable groups and support the healthcare system under great pressure.”

According to covid.is, there were 2,633 cases of the coronavirus detected in Iceland yesterday, 2,481 from rapid tests and 152 from PCR tests. Landspítali reports that there are currently 77 people in hospital with COVID-19, four of them in intensive care. There have been 77 deaths to the virus in Iceland since the start of the pandemic.