Status: 07/24/2021 5:19 p.m.
It looked as if Iceland had survived the corona pandemic – now the number of cases is increasing again. The government is now putting measures that have already been lifted back into force.
Due to rising corona numbers, Iceland is again introducing new restrictions in public life. From Sunday, bars and clubs have to close at midnight, at events a maximum of 200 participants are allowed, according to reports from the Icelandic broadcaster RUV.
Icelanders should also keep a distance of at least one meter and wear masks indoors. There will be a mask requirement at concerts, theaters and sporting events. The restrictions apply until August 13th.
A week without a corona case
Iceland only said goodbye to its corona measures four weeks ago. After 15 months, keeping your distance, wearing a mask and taking other measures, all restrictions were lifted. Previously, no new corona case had been reported on the North Atlantic island for a week.
However, since July 14, the number of confirmed cases has grown rapidly. Almost 350 infections with the Delta variant have now been confirmed, and the majority of those affected have been vaccinated. “We can count ourselves lucky, because although the cases are increasing, we are still not seeing any serious diseases,” said Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir. “We still believe, however, that it makes sense to try and reduce the number of cases.”
High vaccination rate
Around 90 percent of all Icelanders over the age of 16 are vaccinated against corona at least once. However, the trend has been reversing again for a few days. The 14-day domestic incidence, which distinguishes Icelanders from borderline cases, recently rose to 83.7, and for cases on entry it was 16.1 for the same period. In the past few days, a few dozen new infections have been added, which is quite a lot for the island with its around 360,000 inhabitants. More than 1,000 people were in quarantine on Friday.