Reykjavík Grapevine - jul. 2021, Side 2

First 08: Illegal Deporations
06: It's Always 4:20
Somewhere
08: Thor Vs. !ór
12-13: FRINGE IT UP!
14: Cheer Up, Girl
20: A Gallery In A Gas
Station... What?!
Iceland has officially declared victory
over the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Icelandic Government decided to
completely relax domestic restric-
tions at the end of June, although
there are some restrictions at the
borders. This means that we have
no gathering restrictions nor does
anyone have to wear a mask.
The reason is fairly simple. As of the time I’m writing this,
Iceland has vaccinated around 72% of the nation. Our top
epidemiologist !órólfur Gu"nason said it's very unlikely that
Iceland will experience a wave similar to those that happened
earlier this year, when dozens of people had the virus. But
this does not mean that Icelanders are not awake to threats
connected with the virus.
Only a portion of the world has been vaccinated and while
that remains the case, nobody can really be sure how this will
play out. But it should encourage us all to do better when it
comes to helping the developing countries in the world to get
vaccinated. We should also show the responsibility to have
the shot ourselves, no matter how people approach the issue
from a political view. It’s saving lives, it’s restoring normal-
ity, Iceland is proof of this. We have had fewer than 10 cases
in the two weeks since June 15th. All of the individuals that
got the virus were tourists who, luckily, were vaccinated and
showed no symptoms. None in Iceland have died from the
virus for months.
Icelanders are now looking toward the future. The
pandemic has been hard and we need to rebuild. The sooner,
the better. Cultural life is slowly restoring itself and unem-
ployment numbers are lowering every day. This will take
time, but we will get there.
Icelanders have handled the pandemic well, although
there were grave mistakes made on the way. Icelanders
biggest lessons in handling the pandemic is that politicians
trusted science to handle the threat. That’s how they gained
the trust of the public. The victory comes down to the public
and how we stood united and we did this repeatedly through-
out the pandemic with the help of our scientists. This power
of cooperation shows once more, that the public can be
trusted with complicated issues, like suffocating a deadly
virus. We need to remember this when we have to fight for
restoring our freedom that was taken away from us through-
out the pandemic.
The populist figures of the world have lost the battle,
although it has been costly if you count the lives that have
been lost because of their impotence. And history will not
be kind when looking back to their heritage. We should not
forget that, either.

Valur Grettisson
Editor-in-chief
John Pearson is a Rey-
kjavík resident who
combines writing with
professional back-
grounds in music,
broadcasting, scuba
diving, engineering
and underwater
photography. He loves
puns, alliteration and
lists that have three
things in them.
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.
Alina Maurer is a
media studies intern
at the Grapevine. She
studied all things
Icelandic at HÍ and
can finally distin-
guish Marvel’s Thor
from the real #ór.
A$er a year’s break
in Germany she came
back to Iceland due
to missing the ocean
and Icelandic ice
cream. She loves
pretzels, clay art and
boiling in hot tubs.
Catharine Fulton is a
writer and editor who
has been involved
with the Grapevine
for many years, from
being our online
news editor to sta%
journalist. She is
now our beloved
copywriter. Outside
of dealing with our
writers turning in
work late, she also
has two extremely
cute kids.
Erik Pomrenke
collects graduate
degrees and is cur-
rently studying litera-
ture and historical
linguistics at HI. His
MA thesis is probably
going to be about
law and memory,
but it changes every
week. In his spare
time, he likes to
memorize inflection
paradigms and chill
to death industrial
and harsh noise.
Andie Sophia Fontaine
has lived in Iceland
since 1999 and has
been reporting since
2003. They were the
first foreign-born
member of the
Icelandic Parliament,
an experience they
recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Brittnee Kiner is an
American political
science student–
turned temporary
resident of Iceland,
seeking asylum from
the quagmire of US
politics. Riding her
horse-drawn wagon
from the Oklahoma
prairies, she found
refuge on an Atlantic
island. A rock climber
from the plains, she's
got a serious so$
spot for ice cream.
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' on RÚV.
Valur is not to be
confused with the
dreadful football club
that bears the same
name.
31: We Met Whales <3
18: Amiina & The Love Of
Lighthouses
23: Vaccination Nation
COVER ART:
Photographer:
Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson
a.k.a. Prins Póló
In cooperation with our
cover star, Hipsumhaps,
we asked the legendary
Prins Póló to do the
photoshoot. The reason
was simple: Both artists
are known for their
brilliant lyrics and unique
sense of humour.
The photo was shot at the
pool in Álftanes, which
let us visit early in the
morning to take them. We
are forever grateful for
their wonderful staff and
patient guests!
EDITORIAL The Pandemic Is O"cially Over
In Iceland, The Public Won
ARTISAN BAKERY
& COFFEE HOUSE
OPEN EVERYDAY 6.30 - 21.00
LAUGAVEGUR 36 · 101 REYKJAVIK