‘Like Landing on the Moon’ Safely landed. Photo/Haukur Snorrason Vala Hafstað The landing did not escape the never-sleeping eye of mbl.is ’ webcam. Watch the landing here . This picture was taken from another airplane. Photo/Haukur Snorrason Arnar tells mbl.is he landed the plane near the site where helicopters on sightseeing flights land. The plane is specially equipped. “This wouldn’t be possible unless you had the right plane, specially equipped for landing outside airports,” he explains. It flies exceptionally slowly, has large tires, and more. You need to be cautious, too, and familiar with the conditions.” Besides, this cannot be done if the area is crowded.
Smiles and Celebration at Swimming Pools Happy women on Nauthólsvík geothermal beach. mbl.is/Árni Sæberg Vala Hafstað
Swimming pools opened anew in Iceland yesterday, after being closed for three weeks in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. The atmosphere at the pools was festive. Pool guests congratulated one another, smiling from ear to ear. Groups, used to meeting for their daily chat in the hot tubs, were in such desperate need to talk that they kept chatting for much longer than usual.
Not only swimming pools reopened yesterday; so did fitness centers and Nauthólsvík geothermal beach, Reykjavík.
Lava Lake Likely to Flood From the eruption site. Photo/Eggert Jóhannesson Vala Hafstað Morgunblaðið , speaking of the eruption in Fagradalsfjall mountain, Southwest Iceland. Typically, in a fissure eruption, the volcanic conduit, i.e. the passage through which the magma rises to the surface, gradually becomes narrower, ending up in one or few craters. In Fagradalsfjall, by contrast, more and more vents have opened. “This magma is primitive with a high relative density,” Þorvaldur explains. “For a while, its passage was delayed at a depth of one kilometer, as you recall. Due to tectonic plate movement, small cracks or weaknesses in the earth’s crust had formed. The magma took advantage of those.”
Rules on Public Gatherings to Be Relaxed April 15 Minister of Health Svandís Svavarsdóttir. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson Vala Hafstað
Rules regarding public gatherings in Iceland will be relaxed starting tomorrow, April 15,
mbl.is reports. This was announced by Minister of Health Svandís Svavarsdóttir following a government meeting yesterday. According to the govenment website, the main changes will be the following:
The maximum number of people allowed to gather will be increased from 10 to 20.
Swimming pools and fitness centers will reopen, but may only admit 50 percent of the maximum number of guests their licenses allow.
Sports training and competitions, with and without physical contact, will be able to resume. No spectators will be allowed.
Physical Cinema on Building Walls in Reykjavík Photo/Physical Cinema In the past few evenings, you may have noticed videos being projected onto several building walls in downtown Reykjavík. Together, they make up Physical Cinema 2021, which is part of the annual international Stockfish Film Festival. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Stockfish Film Festival had to be postponed, but organizers decided to go ahead with the outdoor part of the Physical Cinema festival, which began last Saturday and will continue through April 17. These consist of 14 different works of video art, projected onto various buildings downtown. Postponing those would not have been practical, since our days are quickly getting longer, and the works are best enjoyed after dark.