Chief Epidemiologist Drafting New Restrictions For The Border; No Notes Yet On Domestic Front

The current pandemic regulations for the Icelandic border expire at the end of the week, and chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason is now drafting new regulations in this area, RÚV reports.

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“The regulations are expiring at the end of the week,” he told reporters. “I’m preparing a memo for the [Health] Minister [Svandís Svavarsdóttir] but there are not drafts for memos on the table regarding domestic restrictions, but I am in continuous contact with the Minister.”

Chief epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason has stated that domestic plans may need to be reconsidered in light of the recent upswing in domestic cases. This will largely depend on the number of hospitalisations and how well staff are prepared to handle them.

Furthermore, Svadís has expressed doubts that the current plan to lift all domestic restrictions on November 18th will go forward as planned.

Þórólfur says that more young people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus than in previous waves, and that authorities are awaiting a response from the European Medicines Agency on whether or not to commence vaccinating children.

“Naturally, it is possible to institute more restrictions, but this is maybe something that we don’t want to see,” he said. “We’re trying to walk a thin line to have these restrictions as light as possible.”