Photo by Art Bicnick

Vísir now reports that there are a total of 90 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iceland at the time of this writing. Samples have been taken from 830 people so far, and 700 people are in home quarantine.

One individual is described as seriously ill, an elderly man who has a very high temperature. He is currently in hospital.

Of these 90 individuals, four of them contracted it due to a so-called “third-degree infection”; contracting the virus from someone who contracted the virus from someone else, who brought the disease in from abroad.

35 of these infections can be directly traced back to northern Italy; 29 from Austria; four from Switzerland and one from an unnamed Asian country. The rest have been infected from individuals from this group, some of whom did not abide home quarantine orders.

The Directorate of Health has extensive information in English on COVID-19, including a handy FAQ.

To prevent transmission or contact with the virus, the cardinal rule is to wash your hands frequently before eating and after touching common surfaces, and avoid touching your face. If you must sneeze or cough, do so into the crook of your elbow or into a tissue. It also naturally follows that you should avoid contact with sick people.

If you are worried you may have COVID-19, have been to any of the high-risk areas or in contact with anyone who has within the last 14 days, you are urged to call 1700 from an Icelandic phone number or +354 544 4113 from any other phone, where a health care professional will give you further information and guidance.