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

Government press conference on reopening

Today, the Norwegian government will hold a press conference regarding the country's four-step plan to reopen the country and lift Covid-19 restrictions.

It is expected that they will announce the move to step three. 

Step three would see the full introduction of Norway's Covid-19 certificate, which will be used to hold large events and reopen theme parks, theatres and football matches to the public.

READ MORE: IN DETAIL: Norway unveils more details for how Covid-19 details will work

In addition to this, step three would also see Norway allow more visitors at home and longer serving times for alcohol in hospitality.

The government had also previously earmarked step three for loosening up entry restrictions to allow families and partners to enter Norway.    

However, it remains to be seen if this will be the case as Prime Minister Erna Solberg recently said that concerns over the Delta variant, which is said to have originated in India, means that current entry restrictions may remain in place, even if domestic restrictions are relaxed.

We will have all the details from today's announcement covered for you in a separate article later today.

One dead after helicopter crash 

The pilot of a helicopter that flew into high-voltage power lines in Telemark, southern Norway, has been confirmed dead by police at the scene on Thursday night. 

"After a relatively short time at the scene, the helicopter pilot was confirmed dead," police task force leader at the scene, Tor Einar Bakken, told newspaper VG. 

No passengers were travelling in the helicopter, and it is believed that the pilot was on a leisure trip. 

Investigators said difficult flying conditions could have played a part in the accident but did not yet know the exact cause of the accident. 

Temporary armament of the police ends 

Police in Norway will no longer be armed from June 21st as the Norwegian intelligence services, PST, have said that the risk of a terrorist attack has lowered. 

Police have been armed since November 2020. 

"In the latest threat assessment we have received from PST, it appears that the intensified terrorist threat has decreased. With a reduced terrorist threat, the police's legal basis for maintaining a temporary armament of our force also lapses," Police Director Benedicte Bjørland said. 

219 new coronavirus cases in Oslo 

On Thursday, 219 new Covid-19 cases were registered across Norway, 45 more than the seven day average of 174. 

In Oslo, 34 cases were recorded, a slight increase of six on the seven-day rolling average. 

The R-number or reproduction rate in Norway is currently 0.6. This means that every ten people that are infected will, on average, only infect another six people, indicating that the infection level is declining. 

Total number of Covid-19 cases in Norway. Source: NIPH