Blue Lagoon closes for a week due to earthquakes
The Blue Lagoon will be closed for a week starting today, until November 16. mbl.is/Árni Sæberg
The Blue Lagoon will be closed for one week from today until November 16 at 07.00 am.
This is stated in an announcement from the company.
It is reported that this was decided despite the fact that the civil protection preparedness level has not been increased and the situation will be evaluated in the future.
The main reasons are said to be disrupture of the guests' experience at night and prolonged strain on the staff.
“Blue Lagoon hf. will monitor the progress of the round-ups over the next few days and evaluate the situation. Our excellent and loyal employees will be paid full wages during the closing hours and guests will receive a full refund,” as stated in the announcement.
Last night around 40 guests left the Retreat hotel after a series of very strong earthquakes that just after midnight.
Helga Árnadóttir talked to mbl.is about the situation and the reason for closing down the lagoon for the time being. Composite image
Some guests were afraid, but most were calm
Helga Árnadóttir, the manager of the Blue Lagoon, says that the decision to close the site was made last night after a powerful earthquake struck shortly after midnight.
“We were aware that this type of earthquake meant there was no danger, as civil protection had responded, but we thought it was important to respond in this way at this time,” she added.
Guests left after midnight
When asked about reports that dozens of frightened visitors to the lagoon fled after the earthquakes, Árnadóttir says that there was one group who left. They had been staying at the Retreat Hotel. The people were helped to leave the hotel last night, which they appreciated.
There have also been reports of rocks collapsing on the road up to the lobby of the Hotel Blue Lagoon, but Árnadóttir said she hadn’t heard of it, but it could well have happened.
“Generally, the guests were naturally worried and aware of the situation, but the majority were very calm. Our staff did extremely well, as always, in helping the guests and informing them, as they always do. The guests appreciated that,” she says of the response following the earthquake.
The big earthquakes last night caused some fear in some of the guests of the Blue Lagoon and consequently it was decided to close for a week to see how things will unfold in the area. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
Financial damage secondary
Since the eruption on Reykjanes peninsula began in 2020, the Blue Lagoon has been closed once before. When asked about the financial damage caused by the closure, she says the Blue Lagoon’s officials have not looked into it specifically. Such a thing is secondary in the big picture and it is most important to take care of the guests and staff.
The buildings in the Blue Lagoon are being reviewed to see if there have been damages from the earthquakes and Árnadóttir says there have been some minor damages but nothing major.
Food has also been de-ordered due to the closing.
“ Now we’re going to take a deep breath and try to make a good sense of the situation and plan what to do next,” she says, asking about the next steps, and mentions again that the staff has done extremely well under the difficult circumstances of the last two weeks.
