Dutch singer and Eurovision 2019 winner Duncan Laurence, also known as Duncan de Moor performs during the first semi-final of the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, at the Ahoy convention center in Rotterdam.  -AFP

Dutch 2019 Eurovision Song Contest winner Duncan Laurence has tested positive for coronavirus and will be unable to perform live at tomorrow's grand final in Rotterdam, the organizers said. The fresh blow for the contest-which was cancelled last year because of the pandemic and is going ahead under strict conditions-comes after members of the Iceland and Poland delegations also tested positive.

Laurence, who won with the power ballad "Arcade" in Tel Aviv two years ago, developed "mild symptoms" of COVID-19 on Wednesday after taking part in a dress rehearsal at the Ahoy Arena the previous day, Eurovision said. "We are of course disappointed, first of all for Duncan, who deserves a live performance on our very own Eurovision stage after his 2019 victory," Eurovision executive producer Sietse Bakker said in a statement. "Of course we wish Duncan a speedy recovery!"

Laurence will now "feature in the show in a different form", the organizers said. "Duncan is very disappointed, he has been looking forward to this for two years. We are very happy that he will still be seen in the final," his management said in a statement. The Dutch singer is the latest in a series of people to test positive at what is meant to be a strictly COVID-controlled environment at Eurovision.

Iceland Eurovision winner tested positive

Iceland's Eurovision Song Contest contender, one of this year's favorites to win, will also miss the live shows in Rotterdam after a band member tested positive Wednesday for coronavirus. Dadi og Gagnamagnid did not take part in Wednesday's live rehearsal, yesterday's semi-final or tomorrow's final, with footage of the band performing their song "10 years" in an earlier rehearsal being used instead. The news is a blow to organizers of the competition in the Dutch port city, which was cancelled last year due to COVID-19 and is going ahead this year with strict health measures.

"We have all been extremely careful the whole trip so this comes as a huge surprise," tweeted singer Dadi, who like the rest of the band performs in a green tracksuit with an emoji of his face on the front. "We are very happy with the performance and super excited for you all to see it! Thank you for all the love." The European Broadcasting Union said in a statement that a member of the Icelandic group tested positive on Wednesday as did a member of the Icelandic delegation on Sunday. "Dadi og Gagnamagnid have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from performing in this year's live Eurovision Song Contest shows, as they only want to perform together as a group," the statement said.

"Their song will remain in the competition and we will broadcast their rehearsal performance, recorded on the stage on 13 May." The Icelandic delegation would remain in quarantine as it had been since the initial positive test on Sunday, the EBU said. A member of the Polish delegation also tested positive on Sunday while teams from Romania and Malta missed Sunday's opening ceremony as a precaution as they had been staying in the same hotel.

Performers are in a "bubble" and everyone in the Eurovision venue must be tested. Live audiences are being limited to 3,500 per show, around a fifth of the arena's capacity. Organizers said so far there had been just 16 positive results out of 24,000 carried out on performers, delegations, crew and press at the stadium since April 6. "In most cases, they were from people who hadn't previously been to the venue, or who hadn't been there recently. To date, no infections have been conclusively traced back to the venue," they said. - AFP