COVID-19
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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,…
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COVID-19 In Iceland: 220 Cases, About 1% In General Population, Gov’t Aid Package Pending
According to the latest figures on covid.is there are now 220 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Iceland, from 2,278 samples taken so far at Landspítali hospital. 2,161 people are in quarantine; 220 are in isolation, and three have been admitted…
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Documenting COVID-19: Looking Forward To Looking Back On The Virus
The word unprecedented has lost all impact in reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak, not a day seems to go by without a national first as the Icelandic government introduces increasingly draconian responses to the virus. There can be few that have not…
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COVID-Cast #2: Public Gathering Ban Begins, Screening Steps Up, And More
What’s happening in Iceland in the time of the novel coronavirus? Valur Grettisson, the editor-in-Chief of Reykjavík Grapevine and Andie Sophia Fontaine, news editor, go over the situation in CovidCast. In this episode, we talk about the public gatherings ban, high-risk areas,…
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Gathering Ban Begins; Public Incidence Of Novel Coronavirus Possibly Lower Than Estimated
Just a reminder: the public gatherings ban announced by the Icelandic government last Friday begins today. In addition, yesterday’s news that initial screening conducted by deCODE Genetics indicates an incidence of novel coronavirus at about 1% may be even lower than originally…
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Government Issues COVID-19 Guidelines To Tourists, Guides And Restaurants
The Icelandic authorities on Saturday issued detailed guidelines for restaurants and tour operators, in line with the rules of social distancing in place. Restaurants were asked to re-arrange their seating to at least two meters between seats, asking that only families and…
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First Results Of General Population Screening: About 1% Of Icelanders With Coronavirus
The first results of the deCODE Genetics voluntary screening indicate that about 1% of all Icelanders have the novel coronavirus, Vísir reports. Chief epidemiologist for the Directorate of Health Þórólfur Guðnason told reporters that this is good news, as it shows that…
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COVID-CAST #1: Gathering Ban
The Reykjavik Grapevine Covid-Cast is a daily news podcast about the Coronavirus situation in Iceland. In this first episode, Andie Sophia Fontaine and Valur Grettisson talk about the gathering-ban and answer questions about how things stand now in Iceland.
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COVID-19 In Iceland: 117 Confirmed Cases, New Information Site Online
Vísir reports that there are now 117 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iceland, from those being tested by Landspítali hospital. The vast majority are connected to Icelanders who went on a ski trip in the Alps. As reported, a public gathering ban…
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Health Minister Holds Press Conference, Gathering Ban Announced In Iceland
At a press conference held today, Minister of Health Svandís Svavarsdóttir said that Iceland will be instituting a gathering ban, beginning on Monday. Universities and secondary schools will be closed. This will be in effect for at least the next four weeks.…
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Fastsplaining: How the Covid-19 Came To Iceland – A Lesson To Be Learned
As you know, Iceland is a small country with a population of about 350,000—and we only have one international airport. So you would think that Iceland would be quite safe when it came to outbreaks like the coronavirus, COVID-19. And you would…
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COVID-19 In Iceland: 109 Confirmed Cases, 900 In Quarantine, 2 Admitted To Hospital
At a press conference held today, Þórólfur Guðnason, the Directorate of Health’s chief epidemiologist, told reporters that there are now 109 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iceland, with about 900 people in quarantine. 24 of these cases were people who contracted the…
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COVID-19 In Iceland: 103 Confirmed Cases, Foreign Ministry Responds To US Travel Ban
There are now a total of 103 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iceland, Vísir reports. 80 of those infected can be directly traced to travel overseas, the vast majority of them returning from ski trips in Italy and Austria, while the other…
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COVID-19 In Iceland: Icelandic Gov’t, Icelandair, Tourism Chief Respond To US Travel Ban
The announcement last night from US President Donald J. Trump that incoming flights from Europe to the US would be banned for the next 30 days has already evoked response from numerous related parties in Iceland. These include the director of Icelandair,…