Reykjavík Grapevine - jun. 2021, Side 4

What Are Icelanders
Talkin! About?
Whole lotta bannin! !oin’ on
Words: Andie Sophia Fontaine Photos: Art Bicnick & AdobeStock
Infection rates for the
coronavirus have been
low and a recent easing of restric-
tions has allowed Icelanders to
forgo wearing a mask in a great
many situations, including visit-
ing grocery stores, restaurants
and cafés. This has prompted a
very obvious divide in the public
discourse, between people who are
thrilled to visit Bónus bare-faced
and those who are still concerned
about unintentionally spreading
the virus to vulnerable and as-yet-
unvaccinated compatriots and will
continue to mask up for the fore-
seeable future. We certainly would
not take a position one way or the
other and wouldn’t dream of ques-
tioning the wisdom of our health
authorities, but it should go with-
out saying that continuing to wear
a mask, at the very least, certainly
isn’t going to hurt anyone. Let no
one mask-shame you.
Speaking of the pandemic, quar-
antine hotels are now a thing
of the past. No more will new or
returning arrivals to Iceland have
to sequester themselves at a hotel,
barring special circumstances.
Readers may recall the very public
legal battle that arose around these
hotels, replete with lawyers making
grand statements that compared
the scheme to North Korea, culmi-
nating in a court battle that forced
Parliament to review the legisla-
tion. All that is moot now—just in
time for the start of Iceland’s tradi-
tional tourist high season.
Any time the Directorate of Immi-
gration (ÚTL) makes the news,
you can bet that it’s not going to
be good. Such has been the case for
the past couple weeks now, after it
came to light that ÚTL was evict-
ing refugees from shelters for not
taking a pre-deportation PCR test.
14 refugees, most of them from
Palestine, are currently homeless,
cut off from food stipends (asylum
seekers are not legally permitted to
work) and denied health care. The
legality of this has been questioned
by the Icelandic Red Cross, amongst
others, as has the legality of deport-
ing anyone to Greece. ÚTL has been
on the defensive over these actions,
so it remains to be seen if sustained
public criticism and protests will
have any effect on their policies.
In brighter news, tourism is back!
Relaxed pandemic restrictions and
the massive vaccination rollout in
the US and other countries—not to
mention here at home—has tour-
ism operators very optimistic. It is
predicted that some 700,000 tour-
ists will visit Iceland this year. A far
cry from the 2 million who would
visit the country each year at the
peak of the tourism boom, but as a
country with an economy so heav-
ily reliant on tourism, it’s certainly
better than nothing.
4The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06— 2021First
NEWS
Say cheese!
Published by
Fröken ehf.
Hafnarstræti 15,
101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@grapevine.is
Member of the
Icelandic Travel
Industry Association
www.saf.is
Printed by Landsprent
ehf.
PUBLISHER
Hilmar Steinn
Grétarsson
hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601
publisher@grapevine.is
EDITOR!IN!CHIEF
Valur Grettisson
valur@grapevine.is
NEWS EDITOR
Andie Sophia Fontaine
andiesophia@
grapevine.is
CULTURE EDITOR
Hannah Jane Cohen
hannah@grapevine.is
PHOTO EDITOR
Art Bicnick
art@grapevine.is
LISTINGS DIRECTOR
Hannah Jane Cohen
listings@grapevine.is
COPY EDITOR
Catharine Fulton
MULTIMEDIA
JOURNALIST
John Pearson
johnpearson@
grapevine.is
INTERNS
Brittnee Kiner
brittnee@grapevine.
is
Alina Maurer
alina@grapevine.is
Owen Tyrie
owen@grapevine.is
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Sam O'Donnell
Shruthi Basappa

PHOTOGRAPHERS
Andrea Ludovice
Emilía Karen
Ægisdóttir
Ólöf Brei"fjör"
SALES DIRECTORS
A"alsteinn
Jörundsson
adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Helgi #ór Har"arson
helgi@grapevine.is
FOUNDERS
Hilmar Steinn
Grétarsson,
Hör"ur Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti
Sigur"arson,
Oddur Óskar
Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
CONTACT US:
—» Editorial
+354 540 3600
editor@grapevine.is
—» Advertising
354 540 3605
ads@grapevine.is
—» Distribution
& Subscriptions
+354 540 3604
distribution@
grapevine.is
—» Press releases
listings@grapevine.is
—» General Inquiries
grapevine@grapevine.is
The Reykjavík
Grapevine is
published 21 times
a year by Fröken
ltd. Monthly from
December through
February, and
fortnightly from
March til October.
Nothing in this
magazine may be
reproduced in whole
or in part without the
written permission
of the publishers. The
Reykjavík Grapevine
is distributed
around Reykjavík,
Akureyri, Egilssta!ir,
Sey!isfjör!ur,
Borgarnes, Keflavík,
Ísafjör!ur and
at key locations
along road #1, and
all major tourist
attractions and
tourist information
centres in the
country. You may not
like it, but at least
it's not sponsored
(no articles in the
Reykjavík Grapevine
are pay-for articles.
The opinions
expressed are the
writers’ own, not the
advertisers’).
It's ain't mask but it's honest work
THE HOME
OF ICELANDIC
SEAFOOD
AND LAMB
APOTEK Kitchen+Bar is a casual-smart
restaurant located in one of Reykjavíks
most historical buildings.
We specialize in fresh seafood
and local ingredients
prepared with a modern twist.
APOTEK KITCHEN+BAR Austurstræti 16 101 Reykjavík apotek.is