Iceland reimposes COVID restrictions after cases surge

Iceland, one of the first nations in the world to lift all COVID restrictions for vaccinated tourists, on Friday announced new curbs following a spate of infections.

At the end of June, Iceland lifted rules around social distancing, mask-wearing, limits on public gatherings and the opening hours of bars and restaurants after introducing virus restrictions in March last year.

Starting from midnight on Sunday until August 13, public gatherings will be restricted to 200, the one-metre social distancing rule will be reimposed and bars and restaurants will have to close at 11:00 pm.

Swimming pools and indoor sports facilities can only operate to 75 percent of capacity and masks will be mandatory indoors.

Although over 85 percent of the population above 16 have received two vaccine doses, Iceland has seen infections spurt with 355 new cases since July 12.

The majority of cases are due to the Delta variant, which was first detected in India.

Iceland will resume restrictions at its borders, requiring a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old for travellers who are fully vaccinated.