More than 300 Grade School Students in Quarantine

From a classroom in Reykjavík.

From a classroom in Reykjavík. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson

Vala Hafstað

A total of 320 students from six grade schools in Reykjavík and vicinity are now in quarantine, as well as 43 staff members. Morgunblaðið reports. Among the students, 98 belong to the youngest group, 155 are in 7th grade and 46 are teenagers. In addition, 33 preschool children from two preschools are in quarantine, as well as 11 staff members.

All grade school students who are quarantined receive online instruction, states Helgi Grímsson, manager of the division of schools and recreation in the City of Reykjavík. To put the numbers in perspective, the total number of preschool and grade school students and staff in the City of Reykjavík is about 30,000, he states.

“Even though this many people are in quarantine, relatively few are infected,” he explains. Putting this many people into quarantine, he adds, is an effective way to prevent further infections.

In the past few days, between 30 and 40 new domestic cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed daily in Iceland, and as many as 75 on Friday. About 50 percent of the people were in quarantine when diagnosed.

A record number of people were tested for the coronavirus at health clinics in the capital area yesterday, or more than 3,000. 

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