Ban on Public Gatherings Might Be Extended

Health authorities in Iceland have publicly stated that a ban on public gatherings of more than 20 people, originally in effect through April 11, may be extended. At a press conference yesterday, they stated that by the end of this week or the beginning of next week, they will announce their decision regarding the ban.

The latest figures on COVID-19 in Iceland show a total of 1,086 confirmed infections. There are 927 people in isolation, 157 have recovered, and 9,236 are in quarantine.

Among the latest cases diagnosed, 50 percent were those of people already in quarantine.

Among the employees of Landspítali National University Hospital, 268 are in quarantine and 38 in isolation. A total of 16,484 samples have been analyzed, representing 4.5 percent of the nation.

Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason stressed that when the time comes to lift restrictions, such as the ban on public gatherings, care must be taken to do so slowly, or else we could risk another wave of the pandemic.

A new statistical forecast for the spread of COVID-19 in Iceland was published yesterday on covid.hi.is. It is already available in English.

The latest forecast suggests that many more people will become seriously ill than previously thought. A total of 120-200 people are expected to need hospitalization, and by mid-April, when the health care system is believed to face the heaviest load, there could be 60-100 COVID-19 patients in hospital at the same time. By mid-April, between 10 and 18 patients could be in intensive care.

Yesterday afternoon, there were 30 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, 10 of them in intensive care (seven of whom were on ventilators).

There are six elderly patients infected with the virus at Landakot – one of Landspítali’s buildings.

Palm Sunday is coming up this weekend, and Easter is generally a major travel holiday. Chief Superintendent Víðir Reynisson stressed the importance of respecting the ban on public gatherings and encouraged the nation to avoid any long trips over Easter and travel instead indoors. He reminded the public to do their Easter shopping early, and advised people to limit their number of visits to grocery stores by purchasing more at a time.