A color-coded alert system will be introduced nationwide to provide residents with quick and clear information about the threat of coronavirus, informs visir.is.
The Civil Protection Agency and the office of the chief epidemiologist worked on creating the four-color system. The system is based on the alert colors that are used by the Icelandic meteorological office for weather warnings.
The idea behind the new system is that it can be used to very accurately represent how the virus is spreading in the country.
Ultimately, the project was to be discussed at today’s meeting. The colors that were introduced are:
Gray: the lowest level in the system will represent what the authorities now call the “new norm”. This means that the virus is present, but there is no need for more stringent measures other than personal hygiene and social distancing.
The next levels are color yellow (be careful), through orange (increased risk) to the highest warning level – red (high risk).
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Each time an alert level is raised, instructions issued by the authorities will automatically have to be implemented.
Companies and institutions are expected to establish their own guidelines within the system and implement measures proportionate to the alert level.
According to Jóhann K. Jóhannsson, Director of Civil Protection, “One aspect of the alert system is based on appeal to the whole of society and the responsibility of individuals, as the effectiveness of disease prevention is largely related to their behavior.
Due to the amount of knowledge that has recently gained, both about the nature of infection control and the characteristics of COVID-19, it is assumed that people in Iceland are already well prepared and will be able to use the new system and knowledge to make a healthy judgment. what he offers. “
The color system is introduced to make it easier for everyone to understand the coronavirus situation in the country.
The report that presented states that “The color-coding system is not the same as the one used by the Civil Protection Agency – which represents degrees of uncertainty, threat or emergency – and due to the color that will apply, this is how the different authorities will act.
The system will be implemented with society in mind. It is important to express changes through a system that is commonly understood and that can be easily interpreted by the public given the current situation. “
Color codes can be used for the entire country, individual counties, municipalities, and even institutions within the municipalities. For example, a certain area may have a red level due to a large number of spread infections, while the rest of the country may be orange.
“A school may be subject to an orange alert even if the rest of the surrounding area is yellow. However, an institution cannot have a lighter color than the area in which it operates “– we read in the report.
The system is expected to help increase long-term predictability and help minimize the overall damage the virus is causing to Icelandic society.
The system is to be implemented in the next few days.
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