Norway scraps entry quarantine rules

All travelers no longer required to isolate

Photo: Robert Bye / Unsplash
All travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, can now enter Norway without going into quarantine.

FRAZER NORWELL
The Local

As of Jan. 26., travelers arriving in Norway will no longer be required to quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status or whether they have a valid COVID-19 certificate.

Under the previous rules, only travelers who were fully vaccinated and in possession of a recognized COVID-19 certificate were able to skip quarantine upon entry into Norway. This did not included any travelers from the United States,

This meant that fully vaccinated travelers without a vaccination pass recognized by Norwegian authorities had to undergo a 10-day quarantine, which could be  shortened after testing on day three of isolation, when arriving from an area that triggered quarantine requirements. 

Now, under the new rules, even unvaccinated travelers are able to skip quarantine. 

The new rule comes as a boost to travelers from outside the European Economic Area, which includes the countries of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. 

The rule change was announced on the Norwegian government’s website. The decision came following a recommendation from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH). The NIPH said that travelers without a valid COVID-19 certificate accounted for 7% of all arrivals and only 4% of total infection cases, meaning the quarantine period was “of little significance” to the development of the pandemic in Norway.

“I agree with the NIPH that the proportion of infected people among arrivals without a COVID-19 certificate is so small in proportion to the infection situation in Norway that the time has come to change the requirement for entry quarantine,” Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol said in a  statement.

Travelers who are not fully vaccinated nor possess a valid COVID-19 vaccination  certificate will still be required to test 24 hours before departure. All travelers, regardless of vaccination status, must test at the border after arriving and register their entry into Norway.

If the testing station is busy upon arrival, travelers will be asked to take a rapid test at home or where they are  staying while in Norway. If this test returns positive, they will need to take a PCR test. If this test returns positive, they will be required to isolate.

This article originally appeared in the Feb. 4, 2022, issue of The Norwegian American. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.