Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Almost 80 percent still support the use of face masks in Norway 

Nearly four out of five people, 79 percent, in Norway are still in favour of face masks being used, according to the latest figures from the Norwegian Corona Monitor from Opinion. 

“Most people have used face masks to an increasing degree, but now the trend may be reversing,” Senior Advisor Nora Clausen said. 

The figure is much higher than the same month last year when one in three Norwegians said they supported the use of masks. 

Around 40,000 Norwegians were asked whether they were in favour of using masks. 

Furthermore, 39 percent of people are worried about contracting Covid-19. According to the data collection firm, this figure has remained roughly the same throughout the pandemic.

Majority feeling optimistic about the future 

For the first time since the lockdown in Norway last year, more people are optimistic about the state of the economy and their finances.

The figures come from Finans Norge, a financial organisation. 

READ MORE: Safe but Pricey: What international residents think of life in Norway 

“Norway is about to see the end of the pandemic and the start of significant growth in the Norwegian economy. It is difficult to interpret the Expectations Barometer for the second quarter in any other way,” Finans Norge said in the report. 

Fall in number of car accidents 

The number of car accidents, household injuries and accidental injuries have all fallen in the first three months of the year, according to insurance firm Frende Forsikring. 

There were 15 percent fewer car injuries in the first quarter of 2021 than in the same period last year. The number of household injuries fell by the same amount, and the number of accidental injuries fell by ten percent. 

Calls grow to ban electric scooters 

More than a quarter of Norwegians surveyed in a YouGov survey want a total ban on electric scooters. At the same time, 65 percent of respondents think a helmet should be required by law, according to Trygg Trafikk. 

The number of people who want to see the scooters scrapped was higher in Oslo, where 30 percent want to the scooters axed. 

238 new Covid-19 cases on Monday 

On Monday, 238 cases of coronavirus were reported in Norway. 

This is a drop of 207 fewer cases than the seven-day average of 445. 

Infections, generally, tend to be lower following weekends and public holidays as fewer people get tested, and fewer tests get processed. 

In Oslo, 39 new cases of infection with the coronavirus were registered, a decrease of 31 cases on the seven-day average. 

The R-number or reproduction rate in Norway is currently 1.0. This means that infections are at a steady level in Norway as for every ten people that are infected, they will, on average, only infect another ten people.

Total number of reported Covid cases. Source: NIPH