Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Find out what's going on in Norway on Friday with The Local's short roundup of important news.
Reports of poor conditions at refugee centre
Ukrainian refugees at Hvalsmoen refugee centre in Hønefoss have raised concerns about poor conditions at the centre, public broadcaster NRK reports.
Among the issues at the centre that NRK is reporting are mould, poor staffing, little food and a lack of health care.
There are around 200 refugees at the centre. Hero Norway runs the centre.
Regional Manager of Hero Norway Bente L Dalåker told NRK that the conditions were acceptable based on the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration's standards.
Municipal chief doctor Karin Møller has said that Ringerike Municipality isn't satisfied with the conditions.
Easter migration begins
Up to 1.2 million Norwegians are expected to leave the country's big towns and cities and head to cabins in the mountains as Påkseferie officially begins when schools break up on Friday, newswire NTB reports.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration said that queues and lots of traffic were expected and that pre-pandemic levels of people hitting the road were likely.
Those leaving the country for warmer weather can also expect long queues as more than 85,000 passengers are expected at Oslo Gardermoen airport, a post-pandemic record. In addition, 20,000 and 17,000 people are expected at airports in Bergen and Trondheim.
High amounts of flu for the time of year reported
Flu cases in Norway are increasing and are high for the time of year, the Norwegian Public Institute of Public Health has told regional paper Bergen Avisen.
Flu cases have been doubling every week for the past few weeks, with the increase continuing last week but not as sharply.
"It is difficult to say how the development in the coming weeks will be. However, there are a number of things that suggest that the spread of infection will decrease. Among other things, Easter with holidays and that spring is on its way. This makes it harder for viruses to spread," Trine Hessevik Paulsen from the NIPH told Bergen Avisen.
"On the other hand, there is increased travel activity and more contact between people than in recent years, which can lead to increased proliferation," she added.
Norway to adopt zero vision for deaths at sea
Norway will adopt a zero-vision approach for deaths at sea if a parliamentary proposal gets the go-ahead.
Norway already has a zero-vision approach to traffic deaths. So far this year, five people have died in commercial fishing accidents.
The proposal is expected to receive the support of all of Norway's parties in the Storting. The proposal will cover all industries at sea, not just fishing.
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Reports of poor conditions at refugee centre
Ukrainian refugees at Hvalsmoen refugee centre in Hønefoss have raised concerns about poor conditions at the centre, public broadcaster NRK reports.
Among the issues at the centre that NRK is reporting are mould, poor staffing, little food and a lack of health care.
There are around 200 refugees at the centre. Hero Norway runs the centre.
Regional Manager of Hero Norway Bente L Dalåker told NRK that the conditions were acceptable based on the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration's standards.
Municipal chief doctor Karin Møller has said that Ringerike Municipality isn't satisfied with the conditions.
Easter migration begins
Up to 1.2 million Norwegians are expected to leave the country's big towns and cities and head to cabins in the mountains as Påkseferie officially begins when schools break up on Friday, newswire NTB reports.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration said that queues and lots of traffic were expected and that pre-pandemic levels of people hitting the road were likely.
Those leaving the country for warmer weather can also expect long queues as more than 85,000 passengers are expected at Oslo Gardermoen airport, a post-pandemic record. In addition, 20,000 and 17,000 people are expected at airports in Bergen and Trondheim.
High amounts of flu for the time of year reported
Flu cases in Norway are increasing and are high for the time of year, the Norwegian Public Institute of Public Health has told regional paper Bergen Avisen.
Flu cases have been doubling every week for the past few weeks, with the increase continuing last week but not as sharply.
"It is difficult to say how the development in the coming weeks will be. However, there are a number of things that suggest that the spread of infection will decrease. Among other things, Easter with holidays and that spring is on its way. This makes it harder for viruses to spread," Trine Hessevik Paulsen from the NIPH told Bergen Avisen.
"On the other hand, there is increased travel activity and more contact between people than in recent years, which can lead to increased proliferation," she added.
Norway to adopt zero vision for deaths at sea
Norway will adopt a zero-vision approach for deaths at sea if a parliamentary proposal gets the go-ahead.
Norway already has a zero-vision approach to traffic deaths. So far this year, five people have died in commercial fishing accidents.
The proposal is expected to receive the support of all of Norway's parties in the Storting. The proposal will cover all industries at sea, not just fishing.
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