Iceland Tightens Covid Curbs Amid Surge in Cases

(Bloomberg) -- Iceland is taking stronger measures to quell a surge in Covid-19 cases after daily infections reached a record.

The North Atlantic island’s government cut the number of people allowed at gatherings to 20 from the current 50, Health Minister Wilum Thor Thorsson said on Tuesday. When rapid tests are in use, 200 people will be allowed to gather, down from the current 500. The new rules take effect at midnight.

“We are very worried,” Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir told local media after a government meeting. “Uncertainty over how effective vaccinations are against the new variant calls for the government to react.”

During the pandemic, Icelanders have earned praise for their handling of virus while affording citizens considerably more freedom than other Europeans without infections running rampant. This time around, cases are heading for exponential growth, putting to question whether such freedom can continue.

Iceland’s vaccination rate is 90% for people 12 years and older.

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