Poland and Iceland’s entries for the Eurovision Song Contest had to quarantine yesterday after members of the delegations tested positive for coronavirus.
The Polish singer Rafal Brzozowski and Icelandic group Daoi og Gagnamagnio did not attend last night’s opening ceremony ahead of the May 22 final in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Romania and Malta’s delegations also did not attend the “turquoise carpet” event as a precaution because they were in the same hotel as the infected groups. All singers and their delegations are under strict rules, including being tested for coronavirus every 48 hours.
Every country pre-recorded a video message in advance to play at the opening ceremony in case of a positive test.
A member of the Polish team tested positive on Saturday and the Icelandic person tested positive yesterday. It is understood that none of the six members of Daoi og Gagnamagnio had tested positive.
The Icelandic group, fronted by singer Daoi Freyr, is widely considered a favourite to win at this year’s event in Rotterdam with the quirky song 10 Years.
The Reykjavik-born musician and his band Gagnamagnid were due to compete in Rotterdam in May 2020 with the dance track Think About Things, but his hopes were dashed by the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the song later gained traction on social media and won celebrity fans including James Corden, Jennifer Garner, Russell Crowe and P!nk.
His profile grew further with the release of Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, which starred Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a pair of Icelandic singers.
At the 2019 contest the Netherlands came top with Duncan Laurence’s Arcade.
A statement from the European Broadcasting Union yesterday said: “During a routine test, a member of the Icelandic delegation tested positive for Covid-19. In accordance with our strict health and safety protocol, this person has now gone into isolation and as a precautionary measure, the other members of their delegation will also now undergo a PCR test and self isolate.”