Swimming pools and museums remain closed

Updated 22 October 2020: It was decided at a meeting on 21 October 2020 with representatives of all sports and leisure services of the municipalities in the capital region and staff of the capital region's civil protection committee, that senior teams and elite squads, as well as elite individual athletes, may begin training in sports facilities run by the municipalities and their clubs. This is subject to the conditions set out in the Minister of Health's regulation of 19 October regarding sporting activities in the capital region. Athletes who are granted permission to train under this arrangement must therefore adhere to the 2-metre distancing rule and also observe general personal hygiene measures. Each municipality decides when activities can begin, as the reopening must be prepared in cooperation with the facility staff and in accordance with the strict hygiene regulations of the IAAF, the national federations, the Minister of Health's regulations, and the Director of Public Health's instructions.

Sports activities for children born in 2005 and later are not commencing at this time and will be reassessed next week in collaboration with the ISI and public health authorities. It is necessary to protect school activities and avoid mixing children from different groups within the schools, in order to reduce the number of people who would need to go into quarantine if infections occur. There is a certain risk involved if these groups mix during sporting activities.

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Swimming pools, sports facilities and museums remain closed (19 October)

After a thorough review of the situation, in light of guidance from public health authorities and in consultation with the Civil Protection Authority for the Capital Region, schools- and sports departments of all municipalities in the capital region have taken the decision that all physical education lessons will take place outdoors, observing the strictest public health measures, and that school swimming will also be cancelled. All municipal sports facilities and swimming pools will be closed. Museums run by the local authorities will also be closed. This decision will be reviewed after a week or in line with the advice of the Director of Public Health.

Reason for continued measures

The capital region is at a sensitive point in the pandemic. Infections in the capital region have been decreasing in recent days. In the coming days, it is important to gain even greater control of this wave so that restrictions can be eased again, rather than being tightened further. Health authorities and the civil defence have urged everyone, and the capital region in particular, to continue to prevent large gatherings, close contact, and mixing between different groups of people over the coming weeks. The aim is to reduce the spread and growth of the virus and to prevent an increased strain on the healthcare system. A great deal depends on the community's success in keeping schools open. Therefore, emphasis is placed on limiting the mixing of children and young people between different nurseries and primary schools in the capital region. Otherwise, a single infection could lead to unnecessarily large groups, or more than one school, having to go into isolation or quarantine.

Regular and other visitors to the municipality's swimming pools and museums are thanked for their understanding. Staff have used the time to focus on the museum's collection, changes and other internal work, in addition to a large part of the team now being enrolled in the Hafnarfjörður Reserve Group. In this way, the group contributes its manpower should the need arise at the council's facilities that provide essential public services, such as schools and services that must remain uninterrupted at all levels of civil defence, including social services.  

Further information about the collections and their activities can be found on their websites. 

• Hafnarfjörður Museum of Local History
• Hafnarfjörður Library – the deadline for all data has been extended to 16 November. Please note that data cannot be returned while the lock is in place.  Books and other archival materials can be ordered during this period.
• Hafnarborg, the cultural and art centre of Hafnarfjörður‘

We are all civil defence!