by Donald Wood
Last updated: 5:03 PM ET, Wed May 6, 2020
After six weeks of coronavirus outbreak-related closures, many businesses across Iceland opened to the public Monday.
According to The Associated Press, Iceland had 1,799 confirmed coronavirus cases as of May 4, due in part to a population of just 360,000 people and rigid testing and tracking policies implemented immediately following the arrival of the viral pandemic.
During the six-week lockdown, Iceland health officials tested 50,000 people, the largest portion of a population in the world. As a result, only 10 people have died from the virus, and new cases have dropped to single digits per day.
With the coronavirus outbreak in check, government officials started allowing gatherings of up to 50 people, including the reopening of high schools, colleges and all businesses except bars, gyms and swimming pools.
"I didn't expect the recovery to be this fast," Iceland's chief epidemiologist, Thorolfur Gudnason, told The AP.
While Iceland is opening up to its own citizens, travelers arriving from other countries face a 14-day quarantine, which indicates a bleak economic outlook for a nation dependent on the tourism industry.
In the United States, the U.S. Travel Association and a team of medical experts put together guidance for the travel industry to reopen following the viral pandemic.
The detailed "Travel in the New Normal" guidance was created following the CDC and White House "Guidelines for Opening Up America Again" and in consultation with public health experts.
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