Photo by NIAID/Flickr

Landspítali hospital has now confirmed 37 cases in Iceland of COVID-19, Vísir reports, from samples taken of those already placed in home quarantine following their return to Iceland from Italy and two districts in Austria, Trentino and Ischgl.

In all, about 400 people are in home quarantine. Of those infection with the virus, they are all from the ages of 44 to 67, and none of them are seriously ill.

It bears mentioning that not every Icelander in quarantine is in Iceland. RÚV reports that there are ten Icelanders in quarantine in Tenerife. One of them displays symptoms of the coronavirus and Spanish authorities are not permitting them to leave.

The Directorate of Health has defined high-risk areas of infection as China, Italy, the district of Ischgl in Austria, South Korea, and Iran. If you have been to these areas, or have been in contact with anyone who has, within the past 14 days, you are asked to monitor your health closely and avoid contact with others.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry coughing, and aches in the bones. If you begin to display symptoms of COVID-19 within 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.

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.