The Risk Is Real

“The risk that COVID-19 will be carried to Iceland is real, and what happens next mainly depends on how well other nations manage to protect themselves against the virus,” Ásmundur Jónasson, program director at Garðabær public health clinic, tells Morgunblaðið.

At the clinic, various types of gear are available, as is the case at other clinics in Reykjavík and vicinity, such as personal protective equipment, masks, goggles, and more.

All 38 samples that have been analyzed at Landspítali National University Hospital have proved negative. No Icelander is known to have contracted the virus abroad. Still, there are ten Icelanders in quarantine at a hotel in Tenerife.

The protective clothing used when samples are taken can only be used once and must be carefully removed to avoid spreading the virus.

The risk of the virus spreading to Iceland is assessed daily. The chief of epidemiology advises against unnecessary travel, not only to China, but also to South-Korea and Iran, and four regions in northern Italy. People who have traveled to those areas are asked to remain at home in quarantine for 14 days after returning to Iceland. They are furthermore asked to call 1700, the number of Læknavaktin, or doctors on call.

Iceland is the only one among the Nordic countries, where no COVID-19 cases have been confirmed. The first case in Denmark was reported this morning. Yesterday, the first case of the virus in Norway was announced, and Sweden’s second case was reported last night, as was Finland’s second case of the virus.