Advertisement

Schools and universities in Norway to return to normal

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Schools and universities in Norway to return to normal
Student's will no longer have to social distance in lectures and classes. Photo by Dom Fou on Unsplash

Covid-19 measures in education will be eased and schools and universities in Norway will return to normal when they welcome back students, the government announced on Friday.

Advertisement

At the start of the next academic year, students and teachers in Norway can expect schools and universities to return to normal in Norway, Health Minister Bent Høie said at a government press conference. 

Schools in Norway will return to green level when they reopen their doors to students after the summer holidays, and social distancing will be scrapped for students in all education settings. 

Green level means, mostly, a return to regular class sizes and mixing between students. 

You can read more about green level for kindergartensprimary schoolssecondary schools and high schools by clicking the links.

"We are giving students exemptions from distance requirements during teaching," Høie said. 

"This means that students can finally meet in classrooms and sit shoulder to shoulder in lectures," he added.  

Furthermore, it was also announced that testing would also replace self-isolating for children. Children who come into contact with somebody who has Covid-19 will no longer be required to isolate. 

Instead, children under 12 will be tested as soon as possible and then once again after three to five days. The rules for children over 12 are slightly different, and kids older than 12 will need to be tested on days one, three and five. 

Advertisement

If they test positive for coronavirus, they will still be required to quarantine. 

In addition, Høie announced that the final decision over whether 16-17-year-olds in Norway will be vaccinated had been pulled forward from September to later in August. Municipalities have been told to prepare for the eventuality that those in this age group will get jabs. 

"If we recommend that this group should also be offered a vaccine, it is important that it happens in such a way that it is safe for the children," the health minister said. 

Covid-19 vaccination for this age group won’t begin until at least September 12th, when the Norwegian Institute of Public Health expects everyone over 18 to be fully jabbed by if it is decided to inoculate young people in this age group. 

Høie also said that those accepted to undergo a PhD in Norway will now be allowed to enter the country. 

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