Reykjavík Grapevine - nóv. 2020, Blaðsíða 2

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Iceland—like the
rest of the world—
is at an interest-
ing crossroads.
The pandemic is
still going strong,
while it’s more
than clear now
that disease prevention measures like
gathering bans, enhanced hygiene and
wearing masks are working. There are
alternative ways to fight the pandemic.
Most notable the relaxed approach in
Sweden, but even there the govern-
ment has imposed similar restrictions
to other Nordic countries. Of course,
I’m not talking about the US in this
context. Because it’s impossible to
battle a pandemic if the tools of infec-
tion protection have been politically
weaponized. Who could imagine that
something as trivial as wearing a mask
would be political? It will be an excruci-
ating moment to explain the hundreds
of thousands of unnecessary deaths to
future generations. Good luck with that.
But back to my original train of
thought: we are standing at a crossroad.
We have a vaccine on the horizon, but
we’re languishing in pandemic fatigue.
“Carelessness” is probably a better
word. Iceland did well during the first
wave, although we lost ten people. It
was a true shock and it underlined for
Icelanders how serious this virus is. It
was an admirable united action that the
whole nation participated in, when we
got the infection rate down to almost
nothing. And our reward was a pretty
normal summer (that’s the 2020 defini-
tion of normal). But the third wave was
no less of a shock. We lost 16 lives in the
span of three months. The most serious
turn of events was an outbreak at the
Landakot hospital, which has not been
fully resolved and will undoubtedly reap
more consequences.
But things are getting better. The
domestic infection rate is dropping
rapidly, and will hopefully have a
normal Christmas (again, I’m using the
2020 definition of normal).
Iceland has had its fair share of local
COVIDiots, but they’ve quickly been
dealt with, mostly with a good flow of
correct information, thanks to the daily
briefings with our top scientists that
have done an incredible job in protect-
ing the Icelandic population from the
pandemic. And in my opinion, this has
been the backbone in the battle of the
virus, and if we go through something
similar again—gods forbid—this is the
biggest lesson. Because, it turns out,
that there is always someone willing to
play the violin, no matter if the whole
world is burning.
This pandemic has taken a serious
toll. It has affected our lives, our liveli-
hoods, and even taken our loved ones
from us. The only way forward is unity.
This is how nations overcome obsta-
cles. And it’s a healthy reminder about
those who choose to polarise societies
and groups—the welfare of the whole
community is not in their interest.
So hang in there, keep up the good
work, ignore the one that tries to divide
you, and be patient. Together we will
defeat the virus. There is no other
simple solution to this problem other
than to stand united.

Valur Grettisson
Editor-in-chief

When Rome Burns, Someone
Always Plays The Violin
A!alsteinn Jörunds-
son or the “Main
Stone” like his name
literally translates to,
is the King of Sales at
the Reykjavík Grape-
vine. He probably has
a more professional
title, but no one cares.
He’s the man to
contact if you want
to give us money in
exchange for adver-
tising your booming
business.
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.
Poll" is a hard-work-
ing journalist by day
and an enthusiastic
ball-catcher by
night. A four-year-old
dachshund mix with
an IQ of a five-year-
old human, Poll! has
been the o"cial
Chief Of Morale at
the Grapevine for
eight months and is
a regular contribu-
tor to the Grape-
vine Newscast on
YouTube. Woof.
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.
EDITORIAL
28: Vegan Cakes!
30: Amateur Astrologers
Write Haikus
31: Sandvík Fun
COVER PHOTO:
The cover image
is a mashup of a
photo of Althingi
by Jói Kjartans,
shot in 2010,
and the
"HVAR ER N&JA
STJÓRNARSKRÁIN"
mural by
Skiltamálun Reykjavíkur.
Photocollage by
Sveinbjörn Pálsson.
Find us:
#intotheglacier
www.intotheglacier.is
Daily departures from
Húsafell, Reykjavík and !ingvellir National Park
Experience
the amazing
Langjökull
glacier tunnels