Thread by @enn_nafnlaus

For anyone who is wondering what it's like living in a country that has taken neither a "It's just the flu, bro" attitude, nor a "FREAK OUT AND LOCK EVERYONE AT HOME!" approach...

I've shopped twice for food recently. Here's how full the shelves were both times.

A guy at the door keeps track of how many people are in the building to allow for maintaining separation. The cashier was in a mask and gloves.

A nearby garden / hardware store was broken into segments. There were multiple hand sanitizer stations and signs about keeping distance. Shelves again full - even the bulk hand sanitizer shelf.

Some businesses have had to close because their business was fundamentally too risky for transmission - barbers, driving instructors, etc. But those that have been able to adapt, have been allowed to adapt. And life goes on, alongside heavy testing and case tracking.

Concerning the latter, Iceland will be releasing a smartphone app on Monday to use GPS data to warn people if they've been near a confirmed case. I expect we'll get a 80-90% uptake rate.

One followup:

mbl.is/frettir/innlen…

The University of Iceland has been modeling the epidemic, not just in Iceland, but elsewhere. Their model suggests that when it comes to infections (not just "cases"), Iceland has been more successful at slowing disease growth ...

... than any other country in Europe, and that we're seing significantly hindered, non-exponential growth. The model was introduced at the daily press briefing and has reportedly been peer-reviewed (although I don't have a DOI for it).

ruv.is/frett/thorolfu…

4% of the...

country has been tested. 3% is in quarantine. 0,5% of the country is estimated as infected. Half of those getting formal diagnoses are people who were already in quarantine.

Re, the closure of barber shops as being businesses that cannot adapt to disease control measures:

ruv.is/frett/verdum-b…

Headline: "We'll Just Have To Have Ugly Haircuts For The Next Several Weeks". 'Nuff said ;)