Reykjavik, Oct. 31, (dpa/GNA) – Stricter coronavirus measures are set to apply in Iceland from Saturday due to the increasing number of infections.
The maximum number of attendees for gatherings will be reduced from 20 to 10 across the North Atlantic island.
Up to 30 people can attend a funeral, while a maximum of 50 customers are now allowed in pharmacies and grocery stores.
Sports events and stage performances are all prohibited, and swimming pools, bars and nightclubs are closed. Restaurants that serve alcohol must close at 9 pm.
The changes were announced by Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir and her government at a press conference on Friday.
The stricter measures should apply until November 17.
“[The measures] will be reviewed in the light of developments with a view to whether it will be possible to relax them earlier or necessary to extend the period for a longer period,” the government said in a statement.
Infections almost came to a standstill on the island with around 360,000 inhabitants in the summer, but then picked up speed again.
In the past two weeks, the infection rate per 100,000 inhabitants was higher than in Germany, but lower than in countries that are currently particularly badly affected, such as Belgium, the Czech Republic and France.
For the first time in months, there have been individual deaths in Iceland in connection with a coronavirus infection in the past few days, so the number of deaths has risen from 10 to 13 since mid-October.
GNA