New COVID-19 rules in place in Norway

Photo: Colourbox
This year again, Christmas in Norway will be celebrated with restrictions in place to control the pandemic.

FRAZER NORWELL
The Local

Several new restrictions in Norway came into effect on Dec. 9, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and health authorities have outlined what could happen next. 

The measures reintroduced include social distancing, some face masks  requirements, and a recommended limit on the number of guests you may have in your home.

 The rules were put in place  to reduce social contact among the general public and slow the transmission of coronavirus in society following weeks of rising infections and several outbreaks of the recently discovered Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The restrictions will be in place for a total of   four weeks with an interim reassessment  after  two weeks. Støre has warned that the measures could be tightened even further if they do not have the desired effect.

“If the situation turns out to be more serious in relation to infectivity and hospitalizations, then new measures may be relevant. Although I do not have the opportunity to say for certain now,” the prime minister told newspaper VG. 

He added that he currently didn’t expect significant changes would be made to the current rules once they were assessed after two weeks.   

“I do not expect there will be significant changes in what we have decided after two weeks, but it will be an opportunity to make adjustment,” Støre said.

Espen Nakstad, assistant health director at the Norwegian Directorate of Health, has also warned that stricter measures could be required if the infection rate increases.

“There is still great uncertainty associated with the Omicron variant. We do not rule out that there may be the need for stricter measures,” he told newspaper Dagbladet. 

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 17, 2021, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.