Advertisement

In brief: These are Norway’s new coronavirus restrictions

The Local Norway
The Local Norway - [email protected]
In brief: These are Norway’s new coronavirus restrictions
Photo: Noah on Unsplash

New national coronavirus restrictions come into effect in Norway on Wednesday.

Advertisement

The measures, announced on Monday by Prime Minister Erna Solberg, are set to remain in place until the beginning of December.

Norway has escaped comparatively unscathed by the novel coronavirus, and, according to the EU disease control agency ECDC, registered 37.7 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks, the lowest number among the 31 countries covered by the agency.

National health authority NIPH has said that the situation in Norway now is much less drastic than in March and declined to call it a ‘second wave' of Covid-19, NRK reports.

Despite this, Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Monday announced tighter restrictions aimed at nipping a resurgence in the bud.

"You can make small adjustments now... or you take strong measures later," Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a press conference.

Advertisement

"We have chosen the strategy of prudence with smaller restrictions now," she said.

Earlier on Monday, local restrictions were announced by authorities in Oslo in response to the city’s higher infection rates.

The national measures are summarised in point form below, followed by this announced in Oslo.

READ ALSO:

National

Social gatherings:If you want to meet with friends or family, you may invite a maximum of five people. However, if you invite a family that lives together, they may total more than five people.

Exemptions to this rule apply for children of kindergarten age and school children who are hosting Halloween or birthday parties – they are allowed to invite more than five friends.

Advertisement

Generally, the government is asking members of the public to meet no more than five other people weekly in social contexts.

Private events are limited to a maximum of 50 participants (a reduction from the previous 200). Social distancing of one metre must be complied with.

Outdoor events are permitted up to 600 attendees if they are seated in fixed seats.

Quarantine for foreign workers: People entering Norway for work from countries classed as “red” for infection according to EU recommendations are no longer exempted from Norway’s 10-day quarantine requirement.

READ ALSO: What are Norway’s strict quarantine rules for travellers and what happens if you break them?

People from non-“red” countries may avoid quarantine if they enter Norway for work purposes, provided they take a Covid-19 test every three days and live alone the first 10 days they are in Norway.

Local restrictions implemented by Oslo

Oslo has implemented local restrictions which other localities can introduce at a later time, should this be assessed as necessary. These are as follows.

The local municipality can order residents not to meet more than 10 people in social contexts, not including contacts through childcare or school as well as people from the same household.

Regular leisure activities such as sports, driving lessons or religious congregation are not considered social contexts, according to Oslo Municipality. In these cases, more than ten people may be met with provided social distancing is concerned. “Social private gatherings are when you meet friends socially because you feel like it, assistant director of the Norwegian Directorate of Health Espen Nakstad told VG.

Face masks can be made mandatory on public transport and in public indoor areas where social distancing is not possible.

Face masks can also be made mandatory at restaurants, cafes and bars when not seated. Establishments may be required to stop letting new guests in at 10pm.

Private gatherings indoors can be limited to 20 people.

Working from home can be enforced by checking companies are making provisions for staff to do so wherever practically possible.

Classes at universities and folk high schools can be asked to take place online as far as practically possible.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also