Reykjavík Grapevine - Oct 2020, Page 2

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W h e n t h e
pandemic began
in March, Iceland-
ers took it seri-
o u s l y s t r a i g h t
away. False infor-
m a t i on w a s n’t
part of the discus-
sion; we knew then what remains clear
now: this was bad. And we knew that
we needed to take action as one nation.
The incredible scientists who have led
us through this pandemic gave the
nation the latest information at their
daily briefings and everybody in Iceland
followed their advice. We lost ten lives
during the first wave and thought that
it could not get any worse.
The reward was rich. We were one of
the first nations in the world to flatten
our first wave and had a good summer.
We travelled, we met family and friends
at the bar, at home and anywhere else
we wanted. We opened our borders
quite early and it looked like we had
things under control.
We genuinely believed that was it.
One explanation for how well
Icelanders handled the pandemic in the
beginning is because we are a storm-
nation. We have gone through so many
hard winters, raging storms and satanic
seasonal swings. We are accustomed
to taking certain precautions just to
assure that the weather is not a serious
threat.
But, here’s where storms differ
from pandemics; they are over quickly.
And this is where Iceland’s weakness
is unveiled. We can handle the fleeting
threat of a storm, but we have a much
harder time planning for the future and
taking long-term action.
The third wave that we’re currently
riding has proven to be a real challenge
for Icelanders. We have reverted to
the lockdowns that marked the begin-
ning of the pandemic. No one has died,
but—statistically—it’s just a matter of
time. To top it off, unemployment is at
a record high. Most of the unemployed
are immigrants. But that fate will hit
more and more Icelanders soon enough.
The government has yet to unveil
any convincing ideas for creating jobs
and have been slow rolling out solu-
tions for companies or communicat-
ing the fine print of existing bandaids,
leaving companies desperate at the end
of the month, not knowing if some of
the important government solutions
for companies will be extended. Mean-
while, the government has focused
on saving a massive corporation like
Icelandair, even though the borders are
essentially closed for tourism. There
were less than 12,000 arrivals in the
whole of September.
There is no wholesome future
vision when it comes to the pandemic.
Perhaps we will have a vaccine at the
beginning of 2021. But it could be just
50% effective and it could take at least a
year to produce enough to get the econ-
omy back on its feet. In short, Iceland,
like most governments in the world,
is not acknowledging the fact that this
pandemic will control our lives at least
until the turn of 2022. Possibly longer.
So, where are we now? We are at the
beginning of another kind of pandemic,
a political one, and it could last even
longer than COVID-19.

Valur Grettisson
Editor-in-chief
StormNation And The
Political Pandemic
Elín Elísabet is an illus-
trator and cartoonist
born and raised in
Borgarnes. At the
tender age of 15, Elín
moved to Reykjavík
and hasn’t looked
back, except for the
annual springtime
impulse to move
someplace quiet
and keep chickens.
Elín likes folk music,
stationery, seal vid-
eos, the country of
Ireland, and eggs.
Hannah Jane Cohen is
based out of Iceland
by way of New York.
She's known for her
love of Willa Ford,
David Foster Wallace,
and other such
"intellectuals." Her
visionary work is
known for expand-
ing the definitions of
emotion, introspec-
tion, and above all
else, taste. Hannah is
also the current Drag
King of Iceland, HANS.
Catherine Magnúsdóttir
studies social sci-
ences and came to
the Grapevine for the
internship her stud-
ies mandate. And for
fun of course. When
she’s not reconnect-
ing with her Icelandic
roots, she’s either
watching video es-
says or attempting to
finally come up with
a good story idea
that she can actually
finish writing.
Iona Rangeley-Wilson
is an English gradu-
ate from the UK. She
writes children’s
books, but has de-
cided to also go into
journalism on the
absolutely minuscule
o!-chance that her
first book doesn’t
immediately turn
her into a multimil-
lionaire. Her hobbies
include getting up
late and indulging in
illusions of grandeur.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funk"átturinn
radio show, or sits at
a table in a Laugarda-
lur café, drinking
copious amounts of
co!ee and thinking
about fonts.
Art Bicnick is an
international man
of mystery. He
moves like a shadow
through the subcul-
tures and soirees
of Reykjavík, never
still, o#en ghosting
the scene in a pu!
of blue smoke—the
exhaust fumes of the
elusive, well-travelled
Bicnick mini.
Andie Sophia Fontaine
has lived in Iceland
since 1999 and has
been reporting since
2003. They were the
first foreign-born
member of the
Icelandic Parliament,
an experience they
recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Jess Distill is a
musician, artist and
wannabe writer from
St. Albans, England. As
a long time lover of
Iceland, and recent
copywriting diploma
graduate, Jess came
to the Grapevine to
expand her writing
portfolio whilst see-
ing if she could hack
it as an Icelandic
resident.
Valur Grettisson is
an award-winning
journalist, author
and playwright. He
has been writing for
Icelandic media since
2005. He was also a
theatre critic and
one of the hosts of
the cultural program,
'Djöflaeyjan' at RÚV.
Valur is not to be
confused with the
dreadful football club
that bears the same
name.
COVER PHOTO:
3d Illustration by
Sveinbjörn Pálsson.
Imagery describing
the feature article.
Front and center is the
icelandic microsatellite.
EDITORIAL
31: Hverager!i Steam
28: Gar!abær's Finest
26: Icelandic Authors Are
Criminals!
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