Dutch 2019 Eurovision Song Contest winner Duncan Laurence has tested positive for coronavirus and will be unable to perform live at Saturday’s grand final in Rotterdam, the organisers 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 organisers 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.

Laurence will now feature in the show in a different form

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’s entrants have also been frozen out of the live final on Saturday after one of the band members was diagnosed with coronavirus, while a member of Poland's delegation has also tested positive.

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.

Organisers 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.