Announcements

The Minister of Health, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, has approved a proposal by the Chief Epidemiologist to extend the temporary closure of bars and night-clubs to and including Sunday, 27 September 2020. A regulation announcing the closure has been sent for publication in the Govenrment Gazette.

As previously, the closure affects bars and night-clubs in Reykjavík, Mosfellsbær, Hafnarfjörður, Garðabær, Kópavogur, Kjósarhreppur and Seltjarnarnes.

The Minister of Health has approved a proposal by the Chief Epidemiologist to close bars and night-clubs in Reykjavík and adjacent municipalities for four days, from 18 to 21 September 2020 in an effort to combat the upsurge of COVID-19 infections.

A regulation announcing the closure has been issued by the minister and has already taken effect.

The Minister of Health, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, has accepted a proposal from the Chief Epidemiologist to enable people to complete quarantine in connection with COVID-19 in 7 days if a test at the end of that time proves negative. On completing quarantine, people will still be required to observe precautions against infection and to avoid contact with vulnerable individuals. Testing arrangements will be organised by the Chief Epidemiologist and will be free of charge to those tested. The new arrangement applies to infection precautions within Iceland, not to persons arriving at the border.

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The Minister of Health, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, has accepted a proposal from the Chief Epidemiologist to enable people to complete quarantine in connection with COVID-19 in 7 days if a test at the end of that time proves negative. On completing quarantine, people will still be required to observe precautions against infection and to avoid contact with vulnerable individuals. Testing arrangements will be organised by the Chief Epidemiologist and will be free of charge to those tested. The new arrangement applies to infection precautions within Iceland, not to persons arriving at the border.

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The ‘social distancing’ rule will be relaxed from 2 metres to 1 metre and the maximum size of gatherings will be increased from 100 to 200 people on Monday, 7 September 2020. These are the main points in a new regulation that has been issued by the Minister of Health, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, on measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, following guidelines proposed by the Cief Epidemiologist.

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Passengers arriving in Iceland on and after 19 August 2020 may choose either to submit to two screening tests for COVID-19, separated by five days’ quarantine until the results of the second test are known, or else not to undergo border screening but instead to spend 14 days in quarantine after arrival. The ministerial regulation announcing this takes effect as from midnight on 18 August. The requirement regarding quarantine and/or testing applies to all people who have spent more than 24 hours during the past 14 days in locations that are defined as potential infection risk areas; at present, this means all countries. Children born in or after 2005 are exempt from the screening and quarantine requirements, and the same exemption applies to persons who have been certified by the Icelandic health authorities, following a PCR test, as having previously been infected with COVID-19 and have completed a period of isolation, or if they have been shown by antibody measurements to have recovered from COVID-19.  Transit passsengers who do not leave the terminal facilities at the border are not required to undergo screening or quarantine.

Rules on social distancing will be eased for colleges, universities, and sports, according to a new announcement issued by Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Minister of Health. Otherwise, the general rule of the two-meter social distancing between individuals still applies. In circumstances where the two-meter distance cannot be maintained and on public transport journeys lasting more than 30 minutes, face masks should be worn.

Nursing homes, other health care institutions, and other similar agencies are required to set rules for their activities, e.g. regarding external visits to care homes and other institutions. A 100-person limit of larger gatherings still applies.

As stated in the Minister of Health's announcement, great emphasis is placed on personal hygienic measures and individual responsibility with frequent and regular cleaning where people come together.

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Renewed restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic will be put in place on Friday 31 July, the Minister of Health has decided based on the recommendations by the Chief Epidemiologist. These measures are taken in response to at least two clusters of infections that have been identified in the past few days, one of which has not been traced to a definite source. Renewed restrictions include among other things:

- Gathering limit set at 100 individuals. Children born 2005 and younger are not included.

- The 2-meter social distancing rule.

- Continued emphasis on personal hygienic measures and individual responsibility.

Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 23 July.
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Number of tests: 1.843

COVID-19 positive samples: 2.

As of 15 June, 51.868 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 20 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 10 people in isolation in Iceland, 10 of them with active infection.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 22 July.

Number of tests: 2186

COVID-19 positive samples: 1.

As of 15 June, 50.290 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 20 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 8 people in isolation in Iceland, 8 of them with active infection.‍

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 21 July.

Number of tests: 875

COVID-19 positive samples: 1.

As of 15 June, 48.168 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 19 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 8 people in isolation in Iceland, 8 of them with active infection.‍

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 20 July.

Number of tests: 1629

COVID-19 positive samples: 0.

As of 15 June, 47.357 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 18 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 8 people in isolation in Iceland, 8 of them with active infection.‍

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As of yesterday, the Chief Epidemiologist in Iceland has made a change in the reporting of COVID-19 cases. The result of the change is that there are, as of 20 July, a total of 1 839 cases that have been identified since the first case on 28 February.

Since 15 June, Iceland has tested all travellers born in 2004 and earlier who have entered the country from a high risk area (this was, until last Thursday, all countries except Greenland and the Faeroe Islands). A total of 45 749 tests have been performed at the border, and all tests with a positive response for the SARS-COV-2 virus have been reported; a total of 110. Until now, these positive results have been reported as new cases of COVID-19 in Iceland.

However, all of those who had positive responses have been further analysed and tested for the presence of antibodies in a serological test. Those with antibodies are not considered to be currently infected, despite traces of the virus being found in their samples. Therefore, these individuals should not be considered to have COVID-19 at the time of testing.

This further analysis has led to the result that new infections found in the screening at the border are 18, and 92 of the positive samples are not relevant for the purpose of counting the true number of COVID-19 cases in Iceland.

During the same period, a total of 10 infections have been found in the Icelandic population.

The correct number of infections in Iceland to date is therefore 1 839.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 18 July.

Number of tests: 1.229

COVID-19 positive samples: 1.

As of 15 June, 45.749 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 18 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 8 people in isolation in Iceland, 8 of them with active infection.‍

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 18 July.

Number of tests: 1.386

COVID-19 positive samples: 8. All are pending antibody test.

As of 15 June, 44.566 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 15 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 5 people in isolation in Iceland, 5 of them with active infection.‍

Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 17 July.

Number of tests: 1.639

COVID-19 positive samples: 6. One of them has antibodies present and five are pending antibody test.

As of 15 June, 43.180 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 15 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 5 people in isolation in Iceland, 5 of them with active infection.‍

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 16 July.

Number of tests: 1.046

COVID-19 positive samples: 2.

As of 16 June, 41.720 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 15 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 10 people in isolation in Iceland, 10 of them with active infection.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 15 July.

Number of tests: 1.918

COVID-19 positive samples: 3. All have antibodies present.

As of 15 June, 40.674 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 14 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 11 people in isolation in Iceland, 11 of them with active infection.

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Iceland's chief epidemiologist has decided that as of Thursday 16 July, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Germany will be removed from the list of high-risk countries. The effect of this change is that travellers arriving from these countries will be exempt from the quarantine and screening requirements that are generally applicable to passengers arriving in Iceland. Icelanders returning home will also be exempt from mandatory precautionary measures but are encouraged to show caution in the first few days after arrival.

A condition for the exemption is that the traveller has not visited an area that is classified as high-risk in the 14 days prior to arrival in Iceland. Those born in 2005 and later continue to be exempt from quarantine and screening requirements. The chief epidemiologist will update the list of high-risk countries as the evidence develops.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 14 July.

Number of tests: 2.158

COVID-19 positive samples: 6. 2 active infection, 2 have antibodies present and two of them are pending antibody test.

As of 15 June, 38.756 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 14 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 11 people in isolation in Iceland, 11 of them with active infection.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 13 July.

Number of tests: 1.875
COVID-19 positive samples: 5. Four of them have antibodies present but one is pending antibody test.

As of 15 June, 36.738 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 12 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 12 people in isolation in Iceland, 12 of them with active infection.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 11 July.

Number of tests: 2.040
COVID-19 positive samples: 8. Three of them have antibodies present and five are pending antibody test.

As of 15 June, 32.746 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 12 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 21 people in isolation in Iceland, 16 of them with active infection.

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Here you will find information about COVID-19 border screening and infections yesterday 10 July.

Number of tests: 1.256
COVID-19 positive samples: 2. Both are pending antibody test.

As of 15 June, 30.706 individuals have undergone COVID-19 screening at Iceland’s borders. Thereof, 12 have been diagnosed as infectious.

Currently there are 18 people in isolation in Iceland, 16 of them with active infection.

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The Minister of Health has decided, based on the recommendations of the Chief Epidemiologist, that Icelandic citizens and residents of Iceland who choose to be tested upon arrival will have to take special precautions during the first five days after arrival in Iceland or until they can be tested for the second time for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.