More Rooms Prepared for People with COVID-19

The Red Cross has prepared one floor of Fosshotel Rauðará, Reykjavík, for COVID-19 patients in isolation, Morgunblaðið reports. Gylfi Þór Þorsteinsson, director of the facilities, states the floor will be taken into use when the need arises, which could be today.

There are two quarantine facilities in Reykjavík – Fosshotel Lind and Fosshotel Rauðará, both of which are on Rauðarárstígur. Fosshotel Lind is used for people infected with COVID-19 and, therefore, needing isolation, who for some reason are unable to stay at home.

Gylfi Þór states that Fosshotel Lind is almost full, and he anticipates it won’t be long before the newly prepared floor of Fosshotel Rauðará is taken into use.

Yesterday, there were 86 guests dwelling at the two facilities - 63 in isolation and 23 in quarantine.

Until now, Fosshotel Rauðará has solely been used for people in quarantine, mostly asylum seekers. Since this wave of the pandemic hit Iceland, close to 600 guests have used the two quarantine facilities in Reykjavík. By comparison, only 50 people used quarantine facilities in Reykjavík and Akureyri during the first wave in the spring. The one in Akureyri operated temporarily during the first wave.

At present, eight employees work at the quarantine facilities in Reykjavík. Gylfi Þór expects more people will have to be hired. They bring the guests food, check on their health, and are available when assistance is needed. Red Cross volunteers work there, too.

Gylfi Þór states there is capacity for 150-160 people in need of isolation, which should be sufficient, but he adds that the number of guests fluctuates considerably.