The Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV has confirmed that an on-stage member of the Icelandic Eurovision act Daði og Gagnamagnið has tested positive for COVID-19.
The news comes shortly after one of the off-stage members of the Icelandic delegation returned a positive test result for the virus, forcing all members of the Icelandic Eurovision team to self-isolate and not attend the 'Turquoise Carpet' event on Monday.
Daði Freyr confirmed on social media today that the band will not be attending their rehearsal today or the live Semi Final 2 show, and that footage from Iceland's second rehearsal will be broadcast for the jury final and second semi-final.
Jóhann Sigurður has also confirmed on social media that he is the member of the band diagnosed with the virus. He took to the band's Instagram stories to share his feelings about the news:
"I'm pretty shocked and disappointed and generally just really sad about the whole situation, but I'm healthy. It's difficult because we've worked so hard and I've really wanted this [...] it's been so long in the making, but we are really proud of our live on tape and second rehearsal. It went really well and I am hoping that we will make you proud, make Icelanders proud and our supporters proud. [...] The second rehearsal is good and I'm looking forward to seeing it on television. [...] I hope you'll understand and [that] you'll continue to support us. [...] Thank you so much for your support."
The group was vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine shortly before departing for Rotterdam.
Rúnar Freyr Gíslason, the group's media representative, has described the circumstances as a "huge blow" for the Icelandic delegation. It is currently not yet known if Daði og Gagnamagnið will be able to perform live in the final on Saturday night (Sunday morning Australian time) if their song qualifies.
We at Aussievision wish Johann a speedy and safe recovery from the coronavirus, and extend our best wishes to Daði og Gagnamagnið.
Update: The EBU have released a statement confirming that the Icelandic delegation has made the difficult decision to withdraw from performing in this year's live Eurovision Song Contest shows, as Daði og Gagnamagnið "only want to perform together as a group". The Icelandic song '10 Years' will remain in the 2021 competition and footage from Iceland's second rehearsal performance, recorded on 13 May, will be broadcast in the country's allocated slot during the live shows. The Icelandic delegation will remain in quarantine and be monitored by the Health Authorities.