Swimming Pool In Akureyri Closed Due To Overcrowded Hot Tubs

The police in the Akureyri were forced to close the Sundlaug Akureyrar swimming pool on Saturday 30th January as it was not possible for guests to stay two metres apart whilst in the hot tubs.

The pool was staying within government guidelines by only allowing a limited amount of guests to swim at a time, but an anonymous tip told the police that people in the pots were too close together.

The police were carrying out a special surveillance of hotels and restaurants with regards to disease control when they received the tip.

The police have issued the following statement on Facebook discussing the incident.

COVID- áfram skal haldið !

Sannarlega ber að njóta þess að staðan hér á landi er mjög góð hvað stöðu faraldursins…

Posted by Lögreglan á Norðurlandi eystra on Sunday, 31 January 2021

“On Saturday afternoon, the police received a report that there was a large crowd in the Akureyri Swimming Pool and especially in the hot tubs,” says the statement given by the police in the north east of Iceland.

It goes on to say “Police officers went to the scene and it turned out that the total number of guests was well within the allowable limits, but the pots were tightly seated.”

“Access to the swimming pool was closed at the request of the police for the rest of the day and the staff were made to put things in better order as well as to improve the markings on the hot tubs before the operation was reopened the next day.”

The swimming pool is now open again but with markings that clearly explain to guests where they can remain two metres apart.

The police have not decided whether there will be further repercussions, however they have stated that they will return to the swimming pool in the next five days to further assess the situation.

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.

You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.