Capacity will be limited to 300 people and the social distancing rule is 1 metre.
From 15 June, the limit on gatherings will increase from 150 to 300 people, and the social distancing rule will be reduced from two metres to one. At seated events, there will be no social distancing rule, but everyone will be required to wear a face covering. The opening hours for restaurants will be extended by one hour, i.e. until midnight. The Minister of Health has decided on these changes to the regulation on restrictions on domestic gatherings, and they are in line with the recommendations of the Director of Public Health.
COVID-19: General mass gathering limit will be 300 people and the close contact rule will be 1 metre.
From 15 June, the limit on gatherings will increase from 150 to 300 people, and the social distancing rule will be reduced from two metres to one. At seated events, there will be no social distancing rule, but everyone will be required to wear a face covering. The opening hours for restaurants will be extended by one hour, i.e. until midnight. The Minister of Health has decided on these changes to the regulation on restrictions on domestic gatherings, and they are in line with the recommendations of the Director of Public Health.
See the announcement on the website of the Cabinet Office.
A memo from the Director of Public Health states that the situation in the country regarding the Covid-19 pandemic is good. Since the current regulations were introduced on 25th May, 42 individuals have been diagnosed with Covid-19 domestically, 25 of whom were in quarantine. In recent days, the number of daily cases has fallen significantly and no cases have been detected outside of quarantine, despite a large number of tests being carried out. „It is therefore clear that the good results we are now seeing can be attributed to the widespread vaccination in Iceland and individual infection prevention, although it is clear that the virus is still present in the community,“ says the memo from the Director of Public Health.
Nearly 200,000 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine and just over 100,000 people are fully vaccinated. Over 90% of those aged 50 and over have received at least one vaccination, while nearly 50% of those under 50 have done so. The Chief Medical Officer says there is still some way to go before good herd immunity is achieved among younger people, and therefore easing of domestic public health measures should be done gradually until a higher proportion of younger people have been vaccinated. He also points out that it takes about three weeks to get good protection after the first vaccination.
Key changes to the social gathering restrictions from 15 June:
- General mass gathering limit of 300 people. Children born in 2015 and later are exempt.
- Proximity rule: one metre instead of two.
- Seated events: No requirement for close contact. Face coverings remain mandatory and a maximum of 300 people per bubble. Seated events include theatre, sporting events, religious and belief-based services, conferences and the like.
- Restaurants: Opening hours for restaurants are extended by one hour, from 11 p.m. to midnight. Guests must have left the premises by 1 a.m.
Validity period: The regulation containing the above-mentioned changes to the domestic gathering restrictions will be in force until and including Tuesday, 29 June.