hit a snag

アイスランド政府は同国を訪問する全ての旅行客に対し、新型ウィルスの検査を空港で実施することを計画していましたが、1日1,000人を検査できる体制が必要なところ、現状のキャパシティは1日500名が限度ということが分かり、はやくも躓いてしまったようです。


Iceland’s plans to test every passenger arriving at its international airport for Covid-19 has hit a snag, after it emerged that the island doesn’t have enough testing facilities.

Opening up the country to foreign travelers is a crucial step to lift the economy, which is forecast to contract 9% this year. Tourism accounts for about 9% of gross domestic product and 35% of Iceland’s currency income.

The plan was to carry out 1,000 tests per day at Keflavik Airport, starting on June 15, at an initial cost of $365 per test. Passengers who tested negative would be spared a mandatory two-week quarantine, with results delivered on the same day as arrival.

But according to an expert report published this week, the island’s hospitals can currently only test a maximum of 500 people per day.
(Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir. Iceland’s Audacious Covid-19 Airport Testing Plan Hits a Snag. Bloomberg. May 28, 2020.)


今日取り上げるのは、


hit a snag


という成句ですが、"snag"というのは切り株の意味です。

切り株にぶつかる、すなわち、躓く、頓挫する、暗礁に乗り上げる、といった意味合いで用いられます。

"hit a snag"という以外では、"run into a snag"や"catch a snag"などという形で用いられることもあります。


The state's effort to privatize its mental hospitals has run into a snag because the only company bidding to develop a forensic facility failed to meet a mandatory state requirement.
(Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2009)