Prime Minister Advises People Proceed With Caution In The Pandemic

Following yesterday’s news that three government minsiters all tested positive for the coronavirus, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir tells RÚV that it is important for people to exercise caution, and that it is our common project to beat the pandemic.

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As reported, Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson, Minister of Innovation, Industry and Universities Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, and Foreign Minister Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir have all tested positive for the coronavirus. There are now 12 MPs who have tested positive, half of them from the Independence Party, five from the Reform Party, and one from the Social Democrats.

Nonetheless, the business of government will go on, Katrín says. Indeed, the budget for next year was approved by Parliament, with 32 MPs voting in favour and 21 not voting. When asked if Katrín had a message for the Icelandic people at this time, she offered words of caution and encouragement.

“Proceed with caution and think about health, because it matters a lot that, even though data shows that the illness is milder, the workload [on the healthcare system] doesn’t become too much. We see that there is a great deal of pressure now. It is our collective project that no one is harmed through these difficulties.”