Some Restrictions to Be Eased in Iceland Tomorrow

Some restrictions, enacted to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Iceland, will be eased tomorrow, Friday. The new rules have been posted on the website of the Ministry of Health. The 100-person limit at public gatherings remains unchanged.

At secondary schools and universities, a one-meter social distancing rule will apply, without the use of face masks being required.

Preschools and grade schools will continue to be exempt from the 2-meter rule.

In sports, contact between athletes will be allowed during training and competitions. The 2-meter rule must, however, be respected in locker rooms and other areas outside competition and training.

With the above exceptions, the 2-meter rule remains in effect.

As before, face masks should be worn where the two-meter distance cannot be maintained and on public transport trips lasting more than 30 minutes.

Nursing homes, other health care institutions, and other similar agencies are required to set rules for their activities, that is, regarding external visits.

Children born in 2005 or later are exempt from limits on larger gatherings and rules on social distancing.

The new rules take effect tomorrow, August 14, and only apply to domestic restrictions. “Border screening measures already in effect will remain in effect until 15 September,” the post reads.

You can view the ministry’s post here .

The easing of restrictions reflects recommendations made to the minister of health by Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason. Regarding border screening, however, Þórólfur did not recommend specific changes, but sent instead the minister a list of nine possible routes to take, along with their pros and cons.

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir tells Morgunblaðið the government will take time to review this list of options for a few more days. A decision on how to proceed is expected after the weekend.

At yesterday’s press conference, Chief Superintendent Víðir Reynisson stated that making changes to the border screening process is complicated and, therefore, he expected any such changes to be announced well in advance.