Norway prepares for new Corona wave

November 19, 2022

ALL NORWEGIANS AGED 18 AND OVER are now being offered a fourth booster shot
of Corona vaccine, as the country braces for a new wave of Corona virus infection.
Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol stressed that the country’s vaccination program
remains “central in handling the Corona pandemic.”

Kjerkol also told news bureau NTB that the government is ready to impose anti-
infection measures again if the new wave of infection threatens to overburden local
hospitals. “We have plans for boosting measures if it’s necessary,” she told NTB.

In addition to dealing with more Corona cases, Norway’s public health institute FHI is
also expecting an epidemic of in�uensa this winter and possibly whooping cough. Flu
resistance is low after two years of isolation during the Corona crisis: “We’re paying
most attention to the threat of several epidemics at the same time, and a tough
winter season,” Kjerkol said.

Dr Preben Aavitsland of FHI told newspaper Dagsavisen on Friday that “the new
Corona wave was underway” heading into the weekend. He noted, however, that
Norway’s high vaccination rate means “there’s good (Corona) immunity within the
population now,” which means that cases will be milder. He doesn’t think it will be
necessary to reimpose anti-Corona measures in addition to the latest vaccination
program.

NORWAY’S TOTAL NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CORONA CASES since the pandemic

began rose to 1,464,752 as of October 30, according to state public health institute
FHI. That’s up from just over 1,462,000 in May, when FHI stopped reporting daily
statistics. The death toll from the Corona virus and its variants stood at 4,286 as of
November 14,up from 3,980 in May, while a total of 467 Norwegians are currently
hospitalized with Covid-19. FHI reports that a total of 4,341,281 Norwegians are now
fully vaccinated, equal to around 92 percent of the adult population, many of whom
are also now receiving their fourth booster shots.

EARLIER CORONA-RELATED NEWS IN BRIEF:

***It can be di�cult to differentiate between Corona, �u and a common cold this
winter, when new waves of all three are expected to crest. Doctors’ advice for anyone
who has a fever, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion, sneezing, nausea or muscle
pain is simply to stay home until they feel better. Norway’s public health institute FHI
no longer thinks it’s necessary to get tested for Corona because it’s now quite similar
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to �u or a cold and no longer critical to differentiate. No one wants infection to
spread at the work place or school, however, so it’s best to stay home, rest, drink
plenty of �uids and wait for the bug to pass. Contact a doctor, FHI recommends, if
there are no signs of improvement after four days.

***A new omicron variant of the Corona virus is spreading in Norway, and believed to
be more resistant to vaccines. It’s also spreading elsewhere in Europe, and
Norwegians were being warned once again to wash their hands often.

The new variant is called BF.7, and it follows the BA.5 variant that recently has been
most prevalent in Norway. Newspaper VG reported Monday that the new variant may
put new vaccines to the test, but health care o�cials remain con�dent that Norway’s
high level of vaccination among the public will help ward off any new crisis.

“We now have a situation where there’s a lot of infection all over Europe,” Dr Espen
Rostrup Nakstad, deputy state health director, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK),
“but we have vaccinated almost everyone (in Norway).”

The new BF.7 variant is nonetheless showing up in around 10 percent of new virus
testing in Norway. Many people feeling ill are no longer testing themselves, however,
or registering test results with state authorities, so actual numbers may be higher.

Nakstad noted that vaccines taken already “may not protect as well as they have
earlier,” in terms of warding off infection, but he doesn’t think those infected will
become more seriously ill. New variants have been expected, with Nakstad calling
them “a natural development” after the pandemic.

Dr Tove Røsstad, chief medical o�cer in Trondheim, is still urging everyone in high-
risk groups and those over age 65 to get booster shots. She also stressed that “good
hand hygiene still applies. It’s wise to always wash your hands when you come home
and before you eat anything.” She’s not warning against shaking hands, though, and
advises that anyone falling ill should simply stay home until they feel better.

***As many as 176,000 Norwegian patients have experienced lingering symptoms of

the Corona virus more than four weeks after falling ill, reports newspaper
Aftenposten. Of them, 75,000 remain ill for up to a year and 35,000 for more than two
years. The so-called “long-Covid” ailments include excessive fatigue, confusion or
forgetfulness, and a loss of taste and smell. FHI has applied the results of a new
British study of post-Corona ailments to the 1.46 million Norway con�rmed to have
been infected by the virus. “We are certain that the vast majority will fully recover
eventually,” Signe Flottorp of FHI told Aftenposten. “Most of those (with long-Covid)
improve within six months.”
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***More Norwegian are falling ill and dying from the Corona virus. A sudden rise in
hospitalizations is also ba�ing the experts but they don’t think the new Corona
vaccines are to blame. Norway’s state statistics bureau SSB (Statistics Norway)
reported a 10 percent increase in cases of fatal illness during the �rst nine months of
this year, and a 4 percent increase in acute hospitalizations compared to 2019
(before the Corona crisis began). Cases of fatal illness hit 3,250 as of September 30,
a level called “dramatic” and “disturbing” by the leader of Norway’s national
association for emergency medicine, Dr Jørn Eina Rasmussen.

A total of 4,208 people have died of Corona-related illness in Norway, “very many” of
which have died this year, con�rmed Dr Espen Nakstad, assistant director of the state
health department, to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) just before the weekend. He
doesn’t think it’s vaccine-related, however, as more Norwegians receive their fourth
booster shots. “This is probably mostly because the total population has grown,”
Nakstad told NRK, especially in southeastern Norway. “That’s where we’re also seeing
the most hospital admissions. In addition, the population is steadily getting older.”

Most of those dying are over age 80 and reside in nursing homes. Nakstad said all
vaccines offered in Norway are closely monitored, especially regarding side-
effects. Norway’s public health institute FHI also dismissed any connection to the
rise in fatalities and roll-out of new vaccines. “Health care personnel are obligated to
report any serious incidents to FHI that can be connected to vaccines,” Dr Are Stuwitz
Berg of FHI told NRK, adding that such reports have actually declined and remained
low since March 2022.

*** Health care o�cials are bracing for not only more Corona cases but also a major
wave of �u this winter. In�uensa and Corona can hit at the same time, creating a so-
called “twindemic” that once again can over-burden local hospitals.

Children can be also be hit harder than usual this winter, and public health institute
FHI is urging everyone to vaccinate themselves. Resistance is low after lots of social
isolation over the last two years. Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of FHI, estimates that
only around 8 percent of children were vaccinated against �u last year and she
wishes the numbers were higher.

***FHI, meanwhile, is facing major cuts in the new proposed state budget for 2023.
Even though Corona infection rates are rising again, newspaper Aftenposten reports
that the Labour-Center government is applying its overall policy of tightening budgets
to the state public institute that helped guide Norway through the Corona crisis. FHI
may have to cut sta�ng by as many as 250 positions if the proposed budget cuts are
approved in Parliament later this autumn.

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*** Norwegians lulled into thinking Corona is over have had lots of wake-up calls
lately. Positive results from Covid-19 testing continue to roll in, setting dubious new
records and dashing hopes that life really can continue as before.

It’s been just over a year since most Corona restrictions were removed on September
25, 2021. The one-meter rule regarding social distancing was scrapped, face masks
were no longer obligatory, the numbers of people allowed into concerts, theaters,
restaurants or bars were no longer limited and there were no longer any quarantine
requirements. Then came Omicron, and it wasn’t until spring that most all regulations
were �nally dropped.

People are still contracting various Corona-related viruses, though, and the state
public health institute FHI reported some sobering numbers recently: Corona-related
deaths before September 25, 2021 numbered around 900. Those after September 25,
2021 totaled 3,165 by the the last week in September. They stood at at 4,121 on
October 10, 2022, according to FHI.

Now people are still having to suddenly cancel dinner parties or other social
engagements. Most aren’t seriously ill, but ill enough that they don’t want to go out.
Others are still suffering after-effects of earlier infection. The death toll has risen.

Building up immunity to the virus “seems to be taking longer than we’d hoped,” Dr
Espen Rostrup Nakstad, assistant health director, told newpaper Dagsavisen. The
pandemic is not over, and won’t be for a while yet.

***Residents of Norway aged 65 and over are now being offered a fourth booster
shot against the Corona virus through their local municipalities. They’ll start being
called in next week, and be given updated vaccine from both P�zer and Moderna,
reports public health institute FHI.

“Now that the variant-updated mRNA-based vacciines from P�zer and Moderna have
been approved as booster doses, we will offer them to everyone recommended to get
them,” Dr Geir Bukholm of FHI told newspaper Dagbladet.

Those who’ve had two shots are still considered to be fully vaccinated, and many
Norwegians have received a third booster shot. Now the fourth shots are being
offered both to those 65 and over and to everyone between 18 and 64 who are
considered to be in high-risk groups.

FHI has been running full-page ads in Norwegian newspapers during the past week
to alert the public, with messages that their local governments “will have a free dose
ready for you soon.” Oslo o�cials report they intend to start calling in those eligible
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within the next week.

FHI has been concerned that too few senior citizens were receiving new booster
doses, and hospitalizations have risen by around 200 people a week, compared to
just 20 a week last summer. The death toll has also risen, with o�cials reporting that
more people have died from the Corona virus in the past few months than in the �rst
two years of the pandemic. The vast majority of Corona victims are elderly.

***The summer’s wave of new corona infection crested in July, according to o�cials
at state public health institute FHI. They reported fewer cases of Norwegians testing
positive to the virus, and fewer hospitalizations. “Our overview indicates that the
spread of infection within the public is on the decline,” stated FHI, and the trend was
continuing. The number of Norwegians admitted to hospital with Covid-19 was also
declining.

The Omicron variant known as BA.5 continues to dominate in Norway, after taking
hold in mid-June. By early July, hospitalizations per week had passed 300, but they
were down to 252 towards the end of the month. The number of deaths rose to 83
during the �rst half of July, nearly 60 percent of them among the elderly. FHI
(Folkehelseinstituttet) warned, however, that the infection situation remained
unpredictable and could change as Norwegians return from summer holidays.

***Norwegians aged 75 and older are now getting offers of a fourth dose of the
Corona vaccine, with those aged 65 and older expected to get similar offers “soon,”
according to Dr Preben Aavitsland of FHI. “We expect any illness will become steadily
milder after vaccinations and cases of the new variants.” He believes Norwegians are
now as well-protected as possible against serious illness, with few of those falling ill
this summer requiring intensive care.

Assistant state health director Dr Espen Rostrup Nakstad warned, however, that
Norwegians must remain prepared for more waves of infection this autumn. “Even
though the pandemic has lasted for two-and-a-half years, we expect more waves this
autumn and winter,” Nakstad told newspaper VG. That’s expected to continue until
there’s some form of global immunity.

***Norwegian health authorities expected a new wave of Corona virus infection this
summer, and they got it. The wave followed increases in infection already both at
home and elsewhere in Europe, and new variants of the Omicron strain were brought
home as Norwegians started traveling again.

Dr Preben Aavitsland of the public health institute FHI, told news bureau NTB in June
that the new wave wasn’t expected to be “as big as the one from February to April.”
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He nonetheless thinks “a few hundred thousand Norwegians” will become infected by
the end of the summer, many for the second time. Immunity among the public has
lessened, he said, just as the new BA.5 variant of Omicron is spreading because it
can infect those who otherwise are fully vaccinated or been infected earlier. He
stressed, however, that FHI doesn’t expect many to become seriously ill.

“It looks like the new BA.5 has symptoms similar to the (previous) BA.2 variant,”
Aavitsland said. Hospitalizations are currently rising, but not dramatically, and he
doesn’t think any new shutdowns will be necessary. BA.5 now stands for more than
80 percent of all new cases in Portugal, where infection has risen the most. Its
mutations can simply break through the immune systems built up through
vaccination and earlier infection more easily.

***State o�cials stopped updating daily infection and hospitalization numbers in

May, when many thought the pandemic was over, at least in Norway. Publicly run
testing programs have also been shut down, leaving it up to individuals to test
themselves and report any positive results. That means the authorities actually have
“a poor overview over the extent of infection” in both Norway and Europe as of mid-
June, according to Dr Espen Nakstad, the assistant state health director who became
a well-known face in the media during the Corona crisis. “But we do see that hospital
admissions of patients infected with the Corona virus have risen a bit now in June.”

***All Norwegians over age 60 have been urged to take a Corona vaccine booster
shot every autumn, announced the state public health institute FHI in late May.
Vaccine will be made available after all, even though health authorities earlier
downplayed the need for fourth shots. Everyone aged 60 and above will also get an
annual offer of vaccine, reported newspaper Aftenposten. The boosters had been
reserved for those over 80, but new research indicates they can also be bene�cial in
younger age groups. No need is seen, however, for boosters for healthy people under
age 45.

FHI o�cials told news bureau NTB that they expect to launch another round of
vaccinations in the autumn. That’s because the effect can be good: “If people take
more doses, they’ll be better protected against serious illness,” vaccine researcher
Gunneig Grødeland at the University of Oslo, told Aftenposten.

*** The Corona crisis was believed in May to be mostly over in Norway, which
currently has fully open borders and no restrictions in place to limit infection. There
are no longer any testing requirements, and local communities have closed both their
testing and vaccination centers as the country learns to live with the virus. Norway’s
state public health institute FHI has even stopped releasing daily statistics on new
cases, hospitalizations and vaccination rates, all of which have leveled off. Numbers
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below are the latest, many from last week. State o�cials claim they remain prepared
if the virus �ares up again, but for now, life is pretty much back to normal, two years
and two months after the pandemic reached Norway.

Norwegians can give a lot of the credit for their emergence from the crisis to a
Swedish pharmacist, Richard Bergström, who played a critical role in securing
vaccine for Norway through Sweden’s allocations from the EU. Bergström, who’d been
appointed as Sweden’s vaccine coordinator, took the initiative in late 2020 to offer
Norwegian o�cials vaccine through a model in which EU-member Sweden received
its share of vaccine acquired by the EU and thereafter sold vaccine videre to “third
countries” including Norway and Iceland.

Norway’s own Corona Commission hailed Bergström in its latest report for being “the
right man in the right place during this crisis.” Commission members also claimed
that Swedish authorities “did more for Norway in this case than you can expect from
a neighbouring country.”

***The Norwegian government’s distribution of Corona vaccine has caught criticism

from a state commission appointed to examine how Norway handled the Corona
crisis. Experts now think vaccine should have been distributed �rst to areas where
infection was highest, mostly its cities including Oslo, instead of on a geographic
basis that sent vaccine to all areas of the country. The commission’s �nal
report  notes that around 300 hospitalizations could have been avoided if vaccine
distribution had been carried out with a priority on local infection risk. Instead,
Norwegian authorities prioritized the elderly and others at risk of serious illness if
infected by the Corona virus. “The decisions made on vaccine distribution involved
not only technical questions of about how to save the most lives,” Erna Solberg, who
was prime minister from the Conservative Party at the time, told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK). “It also involved ethical questions at a time when we didn’t know
how it would function.”

The commission that she appointed now thinks it would have been better to
vaccinate young and healthy people in areas of the country under the most infection
pressure, instead of sending vaccine to areas where infection was low. Norwegian
district politics often favours widespread geographic distribution of services and
projects instead of on actual need. In this case, Solberg’s government risked, and
received, loud protests from outlying areas if Norwegian cities got much more
vaccine than they did.

Oslo Mayor Raymond Johansen of the Labour Party, however, claims the distribution
was wrongly skewed, even though his party now rules with the district-friendly Center
Party. He’d been clamouring for more vaccine for Oslo, where infection was highest,
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only to see it sent around the country instead. “That was the biggest political
disappointment during the entire Corona crisis,” Johansen told newspaper
Dagsavisen on Wednesday. He claims Solberg’s Conservative government “wasn’t
brave enough” to send vaccine where it was needed most, especially after the
Conservatives’ mayor in Molde, Torgeir Dahl, suggested infection was high in Oslo
because Oslo residents weren’t careful enough. Dahl later apologized for the political
ploy, and areas with high infection rates later received more vaccine.

***Norwegians aged 80 and above can now receive a fourth dose of the Corona
vaccine if they want one. No one will be called in for a fourth shot, though, and the
offer doesn’t apply to the rest of the population. “Our evaluation is that we’ll open up
for persons 80 and older to get another booster shot, if they ask for one themselves,”
said Dr Geir Bukholm of the public health institute FHI on Wednesday. “We’re talking
about a fourth shot.” FHI, however, sees no need for a general recommendation on a
fourth dose, nor will Norwegians younger than 80 get an offer for booster shots yet. It
will be up to local governments to offer information on how seniors can make an
appointment for a fourth shot. FHI does recommend that those with seriously weak
immune systems should get a fourth vaccine dose, preferably three months after
their third dose.

***Stable hospitalizations, fewer patients needing intensive care and fewer

Norwegians testing themselves: Those are the latest trends in the Corona situation in
Norway after the Easter holidays. An additional 265 people have died from the virus
during the past two weeks, though, con�rming o�cials’ warnings that the pandemic
is not over yet. The vast majority of those now testing positive report symptoms
similar to a normal �u, and few become seriously ill. Only those with underlying
medical conditions and the elderly are at risk. Dr Frode Forland of the public health
institute FHI recently told newspaper Aftenposten that more elderly who test positive
are in fact becoming seriously ill, and fatalities are rising. No one is sure why, but
many have other health problems and can be more vulnerable. The average age of
those dying from the Corona virus during the �rst week of April was 84.

***Even though life is mostly back to normal in Norway, the government wants to
retain the right to demand use of Corona certi�cates to verify Norwegians’ health
status. Their use in Norway is due to expire on July 1, but Health Minister Ingvild
Kjerkol wants to extend that until June 30 next year. “We must be prepared that the
infection situation can change, and it may be necessary to reimpose infection
prevention measures,” Kjerkol said just before the Easter holidays. Ongoing legality of
the certi�cates can thus play an important role in Corona containment measures,
Kjerkol said.

***Some Norwegians may be offered a fourth booster shot of the Corona vaccine
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before next winter, Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol announced on Tuesday afternoon
(April 5). Those �rst in line would be “older” Norwegians (mostly likely those over 60)
and people at risk for serious illness. “Vaccinations are our most important tool
against the pandemic,” Kjerkol stated, “and the Corona vaccination program will be
extended until June 2023.” She said local governments all over the country must be
ready with plans to quickly expand capacity for a new rounds of vaccinations.

Kjerkol had earlier delivered a status report of the pandemic situation in Norway to
Parliament. It’s characterized by a sharp drop in the numbers of new con�rmed cases
of the Corona virus. There’s been a rise in deaths over the past few months but
hospital admissions have declined, as have the numbers of daily and weekly infection
statistics. The health minister also largely accepted a report from state health
authorities that Norway must now learn to live with the virus, but stressed that the
pandemic is not over. The government, through an agreement with the EU, has
ordered vaccine from both P�zer-BioNTech and Moderna that also includes vaccine
developed to ward off the Omicron variant. It’s not clear yet, however, when the latter
may be fully developed and ready for market.

***Norway’s health ministry claims it will be prepared for any new wave of Corona
virus infection this fall. Several virus experts predict a new wave, but no one knows
which variant may �ourish. Immunologist Gunnveig Grødeland at the University of
Oslo and Rebecca Cox, a professor at the In�uensa Center in Bergen, told newspaper
Aftenposten that they think the Corona virus will become a seasonal virus like the �u.
They also think new variants will continue to emerge, but don’t know whether they’ll
lead to serious illness. “But we are much better prepared than we were, because of
the high level of vaccination in Norway and good immunity within the population,”
Grødeland said. She noted that airborne viruses like in�uensa and Covid-19 often
spread when it’s cold weather, for example in the autumn. That’s why a new wave
may occur, whether it’s the Delta or Omikron variant, or a new one. Booster shots may
be recommended for everyone over age 60. On Tuesday, health o�cials proposed
new ways of learning to live with the Corona virus that were mostly adopted by the
health ministry.

*** Norway’s public health institute FHI recorded fewer patients with Corona and
more with in�uensa in March. FHI’s director, Dr Camilla Stoltenberg. After another
increase, the numbers of patients hospitalized with Corona fell last week. Actual
admissions fell from 545 in mid-March to 3345 last week. “Given the situation now,
we can continue with more normal everyday life without any major measures against
Covid-19,” Stoltenberg told news bureau NTB. She added that only 29 Corona patients
needed intensive care nationwide, down from 56 a week earlier.

*** An international study involving Norwegian and Swedish researchers has

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established that taking the Corona vaccine poses no higher risk of complications for
pregnant women. They can, however, become more seriously ill if infected with the
Corona virus. Vaccination is therefore now being recommended for all pregnant
women, regardless of which trimester they’re in. The study targeted 157,521 births in
Sweden and Norway between May 2021 and January 2022. The births were
examined in regards to premature delivery, still-born babies and low weight of the
fetus. No risks tied to vaccines were found.

*** Norwegians getting ready for their �rst 17th of May in three years suddenly face
an unexpected problem: Many are not �tting into their formal national costumes
known as the bunad that are traditionally worn on Norway’s national day. “It’s a well-
known phenomonen that bunads shrink in the closet,” Marianne Lambersøy, who runs
a bunad-sewing studio in Stavanger, told state broadcaster NRK with a smile this
week. She’s having hectic days, with customers streaming in for alterations. After two
years of spending time mostly at home during the Corona crisis, and often in
comfortable clothing like jogging suits, their waistlines have expanded. They’ve
simply grown out of the bunads that cost tens of thousands of Norwegian kroner, just
when they’re looking forward to �nally being able to wear them again at 17th of May
celebrations that had to be cancelled both in 2020 and 2021.

Norway is also heading into high season for weddings and con�rmations, occasions
that call for dressing up and donning bunads. Seamstresses and tailors all over the
country are overwhelmed by all the calls for help. “We’re all working as hard as we
can,” Lambersøy said, “but if you haven’t arranged to get your bunad altered by now,
it’s probably too late.”

***The Norwegian government plans to evaluate how state authorities handled the
Corona pandemic, which is now easing its grip on the country. The Health Ministry
announced Monday evening that it will appoint “an expert group” specializing in
national preparedness, physical and mental health, minorities, the law, economics
and labour. Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol said the evaluation should also examine
how Norway’s response to the pandemic compared to how other countries have
handled it.

The expert group will use reports already prepared by the state’s Corona Commission
as its starting point. The group’s mandate will be to compile an overall evaluation of
Norwegian authorities’ collective handling of the pandemic, from when it �rst reached
Norway in late February-early March 2020. The group will also evaluate how the less-
serious but more contagious Omicron variant was handled from November 1, 2021
until, tentatively, May 1, 2022.

***While the Corona pandemic almost seems over in Norway, it’s not over in many
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other countries around Europe and the world. State health authorities are thus urging
Norwegians to be sure to check all travel and entry requirements in other countries
before setting off on any spring holidays or planning for the summer. The war in
Ukraine may dampen travel desire built up during the pandemic, but those determined
to go abroad need to remember that many countries still have many Corona-related
restrictions.

***State health o�cials think Corona infection levels in Norway have topped out
now, and begun to decline. Infection waves set off by the Omicron variant now seem
to be �attening out. “First we saw a decline in the heavily populated areas in Oslo and
Viken (the county surrounding Oslo),” Dr Frode Froland of public health institute FHI
told state broadcaster NRK on Wednesday (March 16). He said there’s also an
ongoing decline in other counties, leaving infection rates fairly similar around the
country.

The total number of con�rmed cases in Norway is now more than 1.3 million. Froland
speculates that the actual number may be “considerably higher” because of home
testing that isn’t being registered. The number of new Corona patients admitted to
hospital last week, however, was 12 percent lower than the week before.

***Norway’s public health institute FHI reports that the number of deaths in Norway
since New Year has been “normal,” despite record high cases of the Omicron variant
of the Corona virus. A total of 156 deaths had been registered by the end of last
week, up from 152 the week before. Dr Frode Forland of FHI said it was surprising
that there have been more Corona-related deaths, because of “considerably higher
infection.” At the same time, Forland said the total number of deaths “has been at
normal levels in Norway since just before New Year, both in the general population
but also in those aged 65 and above. A total of 51 Corona patients needed intensive
care in hospitals on Wednesday, with 29 on respirators.

***The Corona crisis is being blamed for an ongoing lack of passengers on public
transport systems in Oslo. After investing billions in new and large trams, an
upgraded metro system and emissions-free buses, the public just isn’t buying tickets
or monthly passes like before the pandemic �rst hit Norway two years ago. Some
blame higher ticket prices, which can amount to as much as NOK 38 (USD 4.20) for a
single ride, but the pandemic has also changed lots of commuter habits. Many still
work from home at least a few days a week and the need for mass transit has thus
declined. Ruter, the publicly owned �rm that runs transport systems in the Oslo
metropolitan area, reported this week that the trams alone lost half their passengers
in 2020 and 2021. If tra�c doesn’t begin to rise soon, Ruter warns it will need to make
cuts in its rout table and frequence. On a national basis, public transport losses may
amount to more than NOK 3 billion.
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***Weak ticket sales to cultural events indicate the pandemic isn’t over in Norway,
even though restrictions have been lifted and infection numbers are believed to have
peaked. Concert arrangers, popular performers and arenas cite an unusual reluctance
on the part of the public to commit to dates and even to gather. “People seem
cautious about paying for tickets and binding themselves to a date,” Simen Myrvold
of Samfundet cultural center in Trondheim told newspaper Aftenposten. Lisbeth
Mundheim Hofstad, sales and marketing chief at Grieghallen in Bergen, con�rms that
tickets often remain available until the day of the concert, but then are mostly
sold. Tone Østerdal of Norske Konsertarrangører thinks people developed new habits
during the Corona crisis and are more accustomed to staying home. She also noted
that many people want to avoid the Omicron variant and aren’t keen to sit close to
others at a concert, while most all Norwegians are also facing record-high electricity
bills, higher interest rates and rising prices at the grocery store, so may be more
careful about overall expenses. The Corona crisis has also been quickly followed by
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Østerdal thinks many people simply don’t feel like
going out.

The Norwegian Opera & Ballet has resorted to cutting ticket prices by half from now
until Easter. The goal is to �ll its seats on short notice, and it’s mostly been met. The
Norwegian band Skambankt, however, ended up postponing its concert tour this
spring because of low ticket sales. “We had really looked forward to playing rock
again,” bass player Tollak Kalvatn Friestad told newspaper Rogalands Avis, and
promote their new album, but the lack of advance ticket sales made the venture too
risky. “We are still in a pandemic with high infection numbers,” Friestad said, “and it
seems like folks just aren’t ready for concerts yet.”

***The City of Oslo intends to continue its vaccination program, even though the
most residents have already received at least two shots. “We’re not going to end
Corona vaccinations in Oslo, because among other things, we don’t know yet how the
pandemic will develop,” city government leader Raymond Johansen told state
broadcaster NRK. He said the program will continue “as long as there are people in
Oslo who want vaccine.”

***Norway’s infection rate is �nally declining, but hospitalizations hit their highest
level ever on Monday. A total of 634 Corona patients were admitted to hospital
nationwide, 54 of them requiring intensive care. Health o�cials have earlier said they
didn’t think hospital admissions would rise much because the Omicron variant of the
Corona virus that’s now spreading doesn’t result in such serious illness as earlier
variants. Corona patients now make up 7.2 percent of all those in hospital at present.
Intensive care capacity, however, is not threatened.

Infection rates have dropped so much in the Oslo suburb of Asker og Bærum that

local o�cials have decided to stop reporting them on a daily basis. They also point to
lots of home testing, resuts of which aren’t always reported to health authorities. That
makes daily results of tests unreliable, but Asker og Bærum will continue to report
weekly totals assembled by the township.

***Norway is emerging from the Corona crisis, with nearly all of those laid off now
back at work and the unemployment rate at just 2.3 percent. One of the biggest
problems facing employers at present is �nding enough workers to �ll vacant
positions. Now it’s Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that’s
causing the most concern and uncertainty, even though it’s pushed the price of oil
and gas (Norway’s biggest export products) up to the highest levels in years. That
can help �ll up the state treasury and Norway’s huge Oil Fund, but can also drive up
prices of other goods and set off a new energy crisis.

O�cials seem con�dent that Norwegians, meanwhile, are learning to live with the
Corona virus and that life is returning to normal, marred, of course, by the new shock
of war in Europe. Many feel they’re being jerked from one crisis to another, and that
life will never be “like normal” again.

***Skiing star Johannes Høs�ot Klæbo and the rest of the Norwegian men’s skiing
team won’t be taking part in this week’s upcoming events in Drammen and
Holmenkollen. All of them have tested positive for the Corona virus, after last
weekend’s World Cup events in Finland. “It looks like the season is over for me,”
Klæbo told NRK, who wouldn’t be racing against his arch rival Alexander Bolsjunov
from Russia anyway. Bolsjunov and all other athletes from Russia and Belarus have
been banned from international competition for the rest of the season following
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.

Other skiers testing positive include Håvard Solås Taugbøl, Erik Valnes, Pål Golberg
and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar. “In my little world this is too bad, but in the bigger picture,
with everything happening in the world right now, it’s not so important,” Klæbo told
NRK. “Now the most important thing is to get healthy and get back to training as
quickly as possible. Time will tell what happens later.”

It’s a big disappointment, though, for skiing fans and organizers of the World Cup
sprint in Drammen and the Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo this weekend, since
Klæbo especially is a big draw. Norway’s ski queen Therese Johaug was still due to
race in the women’s 30-kilometer race on Saturday, with the men’s 50K and ski
jumping on Sunday.

***State health o�cials think sick leave has topped out, after the numbers of those
falling ill with the Corona virus stabilized last week. There are still lots of people

testing positive and needing to stay home, but their numbers are no longer
soaring. “It seems like the numbers of those out sick aren’t continuing to climb, and
that’s very interesting,” Dr Frode Forland of state public health institute FHI told news
bureau NTB. “It’s also in line with the infection development we’ve seen
nationally” There were around 55,700 more Norwegians sick last week. That’s stable
compared to last week. “We can’t say for certain that the trend has turned,” Forland
added, “but it’s an indication.” He said the infection situation in Norway remains
“demanding” but manageable, as Norwegians learn to live with the virus.

***Corona-related hospitalizations have more than doubled during the past three
weeks, from 230 on January 30 to 569 on Monday. That’s the highest since the
pandemic began, but health o�cials still aren’t worried. “It often takes a week or two
from when infection started rising until we see it re�ected in hospital admissions,” Dr
Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK)
last week. “This shows �rst and foremost that there was rising infection during the
second week of February.” State health director Dr Bjørn Guldvog has further claimed
that hospital capacity in Norway remains “good” (see below), and that he wouldn’t be
worried even if up to 1,000 Norwegians with Corona landed in the hospital. Of the 534
Corona patients hospitalized on Tuesday, only 58 required intensive care and 26 were
on respirators. Nakstad noted, meanwhile, that infection in Norway’s most populous
areas is �attening out. It’s still rising in western, central and northern Norway as the
Omicron variant keeps spreading.

***Never before has Norway had so many people calling in sick to work or school, as
the Omicron variant of the Corona virus continues to spread along with other �u
viruses. Hospitalizations have suddenly jumped, too, but state Health Director Dr
Bjørn Guldvog isn’t overly concerned. “It’s only been a week since restrictions were
lifted and we still have high infection levels (see below),” Guldvog told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK) on Friday. “That shows the pandemic isn’t over.” He stressed that
the vast majority aren’t seriously ill. Those needing to be hospitalized don’t need to
stay in hospital wards for very long.

Hospital admissions of Corona-infected patients jumped late this week, however,

passing 400 for the �rst time. Guldvog said the numbers are likely to rise, but
stressed that the hospitals can handle the increase, especially since far fewer (less
than 50 heading into the weekend) need intensive care. Some businesses, however,
are having sta�ng trouble because so many employees are out sick or are simply
complying with the recommended four days of isolation if infected with Omicron. The
public sector is struggling, too, with lots of teachers and government workers joining
three government ministers out sick.

***Corona infection levels continue to rise in most areas around Norway. Public

health institute FHI reported that removal of most Corona-related restrictions in
Norway last week may have strengthened the spread. FHI also contends that the risk
of serious illness remains low. Infection levels are still expected to rise during the
next few weeks, but only 0.16 percent of everyone infected has been winding up in
the hospital. That’s because the virus’  Omicron variant now making the rounds is
milder than earlier variants and even more Norwegians are fully vaccinated and well-
protected with three shots.

Fully 430,583 Norwegians have reported their own positive results to health
authorities after testing themselves. Actual numbers of con�rmed cases are likely
much higher, since not all local communities have an online reporting service in place
yet. At the same time, there may be overlap involving those who also tested positive
with a more thorough PCR test.

***Norwegians headed back to school and work this week (beginning Feb 14), and
social calendars are �lling up again after most all Corona restrictions were lifted over
the weekend. After nearly two years of strict regulation, fear of infection and social
isolation, though, not everyone is thrilled about getting back to normal. Newspaper
Dagsavisen reports that psychologists are concerned about patients who are anxious
about building up a social life again, especially those who live alone. “We’re seeing
that many people are struggling more than earlier in the pandemic,” Tove Gundersen,
secretary general of Norway’s Mental Health Council (Rådet for Psykisk Helse), told
Dagsavisen.

While most Corona-related mental health concerns centered around the loss of
social life, others now fear returning to it. Some rather enjoyed staying home,
avoiding stress around the holiday periods and not having lots of social bookings.
Only 11 percent of those responding to a survey conducted by the University of Oslo,
though, did not experience pandemic isolation as a burden, but now many still feel
lonely (especially the elderly) and are unsure about how to overcome it. Gundersen
recommended that everyone should maintain daily routines, get outdoors for fresh air
and some exercise, contact some friends and eventually replace social media
contact with real social contact.

***Three more government ministers have tested positive for the Corona virus.
Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl,
both from the Center Party, headed into the recommended isolation period of four
days on Monday, and Trade Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård had to do the same on Tuesday.
Nygård wrote on social media that “I’ve been better shape, but I’m fortunately not
completely wiped out.”

Newspaper VG reported that Vedum’s test results came just after he’d been in several

meetings on Monday, including one in the prime minister’s o�ce. “He’s not especially
sick, but will go into isolation and follow the advice you should when you’ve been
infected,” Lars Vangen, a state secretary in the �nance ministry, told VG.

Vedum and Mehl are the latest ministers to test positive to the virus, most of which
is now the Omicron variant that’s still sweeping through Norway. Another 11,374
con�rmed cases were reported during the 24 hours ending on midnight Sunday, fewer
than the same day last week and another sign infection levels are �attening out,
according to VG. Justice Minister Mehl will need to make “changes to her calendar
this week,” the ministry told news bureau NTB, just like Foreign Minister Anniken
Huitfeldt, Education Minister Tonje Brenna and Culture Minister Anette
Trettebergstuen among others have already had to do in recent weeks.

***Public health institute FHI (Folkehelseinstitutt) still has no plans to recommend a

fourth Corona vaccine dose to Norway’s elderly, like Sweden is now doing. Only those
with weak immune systems are currently being offered a fourth shot: “Protection
after three doses is very good, also for them over 80,” Dr Preben Aavitsland of FHI
told TV2 on Monday.

***Nearly 20 percent of the Norwegian population has now been infected with the
Corona virus, after health authorities reported on Saturday (February 12) that
con�rmed cases have topped 1 million for the �rst time. Fewer are hospitalized,
though, and authorities insist they’ll still be prepared to handle the current wave of
Omicron infection and new variants that may come along.

State health authorities stressed preparedness when the government announced

Saturday morning that it was lifting most all its Corona-related restrictions aimed at
preventing infection. The virus no longer poses a serious health threat in Norway,
claimed Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, but he also insisted that authorities will
remain vigilant since the pandemic is not over. It’s not over in Norway either,
according to Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of public health institute FHI, but since it no
longer poses a serious threat, she and Støre agree that the consequences of ongoing
restrictions could be more serious than the virus itself. She con�rmed that
“preparedness will be upheld,” especially since new variants can still come, but the
state will be armed with vaccines for them, too. High Omicron infection rates are
expected for the next few weeks, with the numbers of those out on sick leave likely to
create more challenges than the virus itself.

***Some of the very people trying to ward off the Corona virus, and keep
Norwegians healthy, have been threatened by vaccine opponents. Norway’s state
police intelligence agency PST is concerned about violence against those tracking
and battling the pandemic. (For more, click to the full story here.)

***Education Minister Tonje Brenna of the Labour Party con�rmed on Friday
(February 11) that �nal examinations for junior high- and high school students will be
again cancelled this spring. Excessive absence caused by quarantine, isolation and
illness, along with limited classroom instruction during the pandemic, raises too
many questions about overall preparedness for the national exams, both written and
oral. Brenna stressed, however, that “this is not a signal that students can just take it
easy” for the rest of the school year. “This is an opportunity to keep studying well and
attending to school work.”

***Public health institute FHI thinks Norway’s wave of Omicron infection may have
crested. That suggests the thousands of new cases being reported every day now for
weeks are likely to decline, more reason for the government to withdraw the last of its
infection-prevention regulations. Dr Geir Bukholm of FHI (Folkehelseinstitutt) told
newspaper VG on Thursday that Norway “is on the way towards such a high degree
of immunity among the population that infection will decline without further need” for
Corona containment measures. That implies a basic immunity amongst the public
that brings the reproduction number (how many people every person infected with
the virus can spread it to others) to under one. FHI now thinks infection can continue
to decline even if all Corona-related restrictions are removed. It can still take more
time, however, before hospital admissions and the numbers of people out sick with
the virus begin to fall, Bukholm said.

***The Norwegian government has asked colleges and universities around the

country to expand nursing school admissions by a total of 500 new students. They’ll
be spread around colleges and universities all over the country, reports newspaper
Aftenposten, with at least 65 of the additional student admissions devoted to those
studying intensive care nursing. The need for more intensive care nurses became
glaringly apparent when the Corona crisis began and especially as it dragged on. It
remains unclear, however, how many nursing schools will be ready to accept more
students this fall.  Administrators were also unhappy that additonal funding covers
only 300 of the new student placements. The nursing schools will need to fund the
remaining 200 from existing budgets.

***Omicron is still spreading in Norway, and hospital admissions are rising again, but
hardly any Omicron patients need intensive care. The number of patients in Nowegian
hospitals’ intensive care units is the lowest in three months, raising prospects that
remaining Corona-related restrictions will be lifted soon. Newspaper Aftenposten
reported Wednesday that there’s a big difference between today’s Corona-virus
patients and those admitted to hospitals just two months ago. They’re not nearly as
sick, need fewer days in hospital and even fewer require intensive care. As of
Tuesday, there were just 45 Corona patients getting intensive care at Norwegian
hospitals, the lowest number since November 4. Many of those who do need need

intensive care already had a chronic illness such as lung disease, diabetes or heart
trouble that Corona has made worse. On Wednesday, state health authorities also
recommended that remaining Corona-related restrictions either be eased or
withdrawn entirely. The government has said it will issue a decision on Corona rules
by February 17.

***More than 200 Norwegians will receive compensation in cases where Corona
patients have either been infected in publicly run nursing homes or hospitals, or died
under di�cult circumstances. Approved claims for �nancial compensation apply to
nearly 15 percent of all Corona deaths registered in Norway so far. Newspaper
Bergens Tidende reported that a total of 221 compensation claims had been
approved by the end of last year. All of them involve either Corona fatalities or
infection during treatment. In several cases, the families of Corona patients who have
died will receive the compensation. “This gives them an opportunity to move on in
their sorrow,” Anne-Mette Fulaker, a divisional director for the state agency handling
claims for alleged medical malpractice in Norway (Norsk pasientskadeerstatning,
NPE). She also stressed that infection should never arise from hospital or nursing
home treatment. The state has paid out NOK 16.2 million in compensation, with most
amounts varying between NOK 20,000 and NOK 100,000.

***Even though Corona infection keep setting records in Norway, state health
o�cials are now con�dent the virus is “less dangerous” than it once was. Remaining
Corona containment measures may be further relaxed, with a new government
evaluation expected by mid-February. “It looks like things are going very well,” Health
Minister Ingvild Kjerkol told news bureau NTB during the weekend. Lots of
Norwegians are now out on sick leave, but Norway’s public health care services
“seem able to handle it,” Kjerkol added. “The number of hospital admissions is not
worrisome, and that’s good.” She said the prospects for further relaxation of
regulations, including mandatory face mask use when people are unable to remain at
least a meter apart, “look promising.” The health minister even hinted that the
government may announce such relaxation sooner than expected.

***’A virus we can live with:’ Gunveig Grødeland, a vaccine researcher at the
University of Oslo, has also reported that the Omicron variant of the Corona virus
that’s still spreading quickly is less dangerous than earlier variants, and “a virus we
can live with.” She expects Norway and much of the rest of the world will mostly open
up again during the spring.

***More Norwegians were infected with the Corona virus in January than in all of
2020 and 2021 combined, according to numbers obtained by radio station P4 from
the public health institute FHI. More than 400,000 con�rmed cases were registered
last month alone, almost all of which were the highly contagious Omicron

variant. That compares to around 50,000 cases registered in 2020 and 350,000 last
year. “We’re in the midst of an enormous infection wave right now,” Line Vold of FHI
told P4. “We have estimated that as many as 4 million people in Norway will be
infected before this wave is over.” That amounts to nearly the entire adult population,
but few are expected to become seriously ill. Instead of basing the need for infection
prevention measures on actual infection numbers, FHI is now paying closer attention
to hospital admissions, which remain fairly stable and within a manageable range.
That’s why FHI and other state health authorities recommened relaxation of Norway’s
Corona containment measures, which the government agreed to last week.

***Debate continues over proposed cancellation of �nal exams for Norwegian junior

high- and high school students, also after the state directorate for education
recommended they should be. It supports the theory that Corona containment
measures and so much remote teaching this school year mean students lack the
standard preparation for exams they should have. The directorate cited varying levels
of classroom instruction and academic guidance, students’ motivation and ability to
learn, and how or whether exams can be carried out when infection levels remain
high.

“The pandemic has affected the quality of teaching, but in varying degrees,” the
directorate wrote.  Students have therefore lacked a standard “framework for
learning” and will thus have a “variable basis for �nal evaluation this spring.” Most
students want to skip the stress of �nal exams, and instead be graded on other
course work throughout the year. It’s still up to the government’s education ministry
to make a �nal decision.

***The number of Norwegians currently on sick leave is soaring, with state welfare
agency NAV reporting on Monday that fully half of them are sick with Corona-related
diagnoses. Nearly 55,000 were put on paid sick-leave by their doctors last week, with
27,750 of them diagnosed with Corona ailments. That’s up by 4,600 from the week
before and the numbers are expected to keep rising. When the current wave of
Omicron-infected patients crests as expected in mid-February, as many as 20 percent
of Norway’s entire workforce may be out sick. Public health institute FHI stresses
that’s their “worst case scenario,” and the good news is that most Omicron patients
don’t fall seriously ill. Many may be able to continue working from home and the
government is also considering further relaxation of quarantine and isolation rules.

***Corona rules and recommendations keep changing and more were announced on
Monday: Public health institute FHI announced that it was now adjusting its advice
for self-testing at home: Instead of just the standard testing in the nose, FHI
(Folkehelseinstituttet) is also recommending testing of the throat in order to obtain
more comprehensive results. Middle-aged and elderly people with Corona-like

symptoms should especially swab both, �rst the throat and then the nose,
recommended Dr Joakim Øverbø of FHI.

***The Corona virus may have already arrived in Norway several months before the
government shut down the country and the Corona crisis began. Researchers have
found Corona antibodies in blood tests from December 2019. The researchers’
�ndings at Akershus University Hospital (Ahus) “may change the story of the Corona
pandemic,” project leader Anne Eskild told news bureau NTB this week. The �rst
con�rmed case in Europe was registered on January 27, 2020, while the �rst
con�rmed case in Norway was registered on February 24, when a woman who’d been
in Wuhan, China (where the virus is believed to have originated) traveled home to
Northern Norway and fell ill. The government launched its �rst wave of massive anti-
infection measures on March 12.

Norwegian researchers, however, have now found traces of the virus in blood
samples dating from around the time China �rst reported con�rmed cases.
Researchers in Italy have also found traces of the virus in blood samples from as
early as September 2019, and some believe it was circulating in China before
that. “The virus could clearly have been quietly spreading long before it led to serious
illness and hospitalizations that brought it to light in statistics,” said Dr Espen
Nakstad of Norway’s state health directorate. The latest Omicron variant  continues
to spread rapidly in Norway now, with another 24,288 cases reported overnight.

***Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol has con�rmed further and “considerable”

relaxation of Norway’s remaining Corona-related restrictions. “There’s simply no
reason for them any longer,” Kjerkol told reporters, adding that details would be
announced at a government press conference next week. Kjerkol’s comments came
just after public health institute FHI recommended that rules be relaxed, even as
Norway experiences record-high infection rates. FHI, however, stressed that infection
now is not nearly as serious or possibly fatal like it was when the pandemic began.
That’s because the vast majority of Norwegians are vaccinated and protected from
serious illness.

The prospect of fewer restrictions came just as neighbouring Denmark was

announcing removal of all its restrictions from next Tuesday.  Sweden is retaining its
restrictions, but only for another two weeks, also because so many people are now
vaccinated and the virus isn’t as dangerous as it once was. Norway’s state health
directorate, meanwhile, has recommended an end to mandatory testing for the virus
upon arrival in Norway. The threat of imported infection is not as great as it once was,
but border testing may still be required for those arriving without an EU certi�cate
documenting immunity or a negative test. The number of those testing positive after
crossing the border fell 43 percent last week.

***Norway recorded another shockingly high number of con�rmed Corona cases on
Wednesday (January 26), but the message from health authorities now is: “Get used
to it.” Omicron keeps spreading quickly, hasn’t peaked yet and experts predict as
many as 400,000 people in Norway may become infected or re-infected every
week. “We’re probably all going to become infected, several times,” said Dr Espen
Nakstad, assistant state health director, on NRK’s national radio news Wednesday
morning. “Getting through the virus doesn’t leave you immune for the rest of your life.”
He was infected himself last week, said it felt like having a cold and that he’s better
now. Local media were also reporting on Wednesday that Education Minister Tonje
Brenna is the latest government o�cial to test positive, along with two of Norway’s
Olympics-bound cross-country skiers and a coach. That’s at best delayed their
departure for the upcoming Winter Games in Beijing and at worst jeopardized their
participation in an Olympics that many wish had been been postponed or even
cancelled.

The good news remains that most everyone who’s been vaccinated won’t get
seriously ill if nonetheless infected with virus, even though Covid-19 remains a virus
no one wants to get. Now even young Norwegians are reporting long-lasting effects
of the virus, including loss of taste and smell and ongoing fatigue. A total of 24,429
new cases of the virus were con�rmed overnight and Nakstad thinks the actual
number is much higher, maybe even double. He and government o�cials now believe,
however, that the country can tolerate more infection and that remaining Corona
containment measures may be further relaxed.

***Norway’s strict Corona testing rules are being eased, after local testing programs
nearly collapsed under record-high demand. Now fully vaccinated Nowegians testing
positive in a rapid self-test will no longer be asked to also take a more advanced PCR
test, simply to make sure their infection is entered into o�cial national
statistics. High demand for PCR testing has followed the infection boom tied to the
Omicron variant. With so many people testing positive at home, and thus required to
get a PCR test as well, long lines have formed at local testing stations and local
authorities have struggled to keep up with demand.

Since few of those now testing positive fall seriously ill, Health Minister Ingvild
Kjerkol decided it’s time to drop the additional PCR test for everyone who’s fully
vaccinated. That poses a risk that not all infection will be reported, however, and that
infection statistics will no longer give as accurate a picture of actual infection in
society. “We expect that we’ll get considerably fewer con�rmed cases reported into
the national system than we’ve had before,” Line Vold of public health institute FHI
told news bureau NTB on Tuesday. Authorities think it’s more important, though, to
reduce the crush of test results pouring in during the Omicron wave. The numbers of
Corona patients admitted to hospital, Vold said, will now be viewed as a more

important indicator of the pandemic’s development.

***Vaccination against the Corona virus remains voluntary in Norway, but now some
employers are trying to require it. Newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad reported last week
that oil company Aker BP, for example, has issued some controversial new rules that
will, from February 1, prevent non-vaccinated workers from traveling out to offshore
platforms. Those unable to document vaccination or Covid-19 infection within the
past 12 months were told they’ll be transferred to other jobs on land. Aker BP earlier
has only required three consecutive days of negative test results before workers
could be cleared for offshore duty, but no longer thinks that’s su�cient during the
current Omicron wave of infection. The company is already being challenged,
however, by labour attorneys and state authorities who maintain that employers can’t
effectively demand that employees be vaccinated. Transfers to other jobs may be
viewed as a form of suspension that’s not allowed under labour law. Negotiations
were underway.

***It’s o�cial: The pandemic is believed to be behind a baby boom in Norway that’s
reversed more than a decade-long trend of declining birth rates. For the �rst time in
13 years, the number of babies born in Norway has risen on an annual basis. Nearly
3,000 more babies were born nationwide last year than the year before that. Public
health institute FHI reports a total of 56,551 births in Norway in 2021, compared to
53,626 in 2020. “This is extremely positive, but we don’t know whether it will
continue,” Dr Kristine Stangenes of FHI’s medical birth register told newspaper VG.
“We know little about the exact reasons for the increase in births, apart from that it’s
complex.”

The most likely reason is that couples have spent much more time at home during
the pandemic and, perhaps, more time in bed. At least that’s one of the theories
shared by Ann Karin Swang of the state nurses’ association. She also cites lower
worries about infection and illness while pregnant and, she told newspaper
Aftenposten, a relatively strong economy despite layoffs in some sectors. Many of
the babies born in Norway last year were their parents’ second child, according to
FHI. Aftenposten also noted that the number of babies born in January of last year
was up 4.9 percent over January 2020, before the pandemic reached Norway. The
majority of babies born last year were also conceived after Norway shut down
because of the Corona crisis in mid-March 2020.

***The Norwegian government is ready to spend billions of more kroner on Corona

crisis relief packages. The Labour and Center parties win support from the Socialist
Left party (SV) late last week for a new support package that will grant more �nancial
aid to students (at least NOK 300 million), cover the cost of ticket refunds for
performances cancelled because of Corona restrictions (NOK 880 million), provide an

additional NOK 100 million for mental health programs and NOK 20 million for
programs to help relieve loneliness among the elderly. New measures and aid
packages come in addition to around NOK 20 billion already earmarked by the
government, and are aimed at “making everyday life a bit less demanding” for those
hit extra hard by the pandemic.

***The chief economist at one of Norway’s major banks has called on the
government to lift all remaining Corona containment measures. Harald Magnus
Andreassen at Sparebank 1 Markets has supported restrictions since the pandemic
began, but now thinks they’re doing more bad than good. Newspaper Dagens
Næringsliv (DN) reports that Andreassen has “serious questions” over why the
government hasn’t removed restrictions already. They did raise the maximum size of
indoor gatherings, but not enough to help large concert halls and theaters. The next
evaluation of measures isn’t due until current ever-rising infection levels are expected
to peak in early February.

“There’s no reason to wait for several weeks to relax all the restrictions, it can be
done immediately,” claims Andreassen. “Today we have all reason to believe that
Omicron is manageable and won’t create any crisis in the health care system, so then
there’s no need to create problems in the economy. The consequences of Omicron
are now quite certainly minimal compared to the economic consequences of the
(anti-infection) measures.” Katrine Løken, an economics professor at Norwegian
business school NHH, tends to agree. “We’re learning a bit more every day, and based
on what we see, there’s reason to ease up,” Løken told DN. “I think those of us in
Norway need some time to be certain before we let go, but we should absolutely ease
up.”

***Oslo set another dubious infection record heading into the weekend, registering
3,785 new con�rmed cases of the Corona virus during a 24-hour period ending on
Friday. That’s more than double the 1,565 new cases reported during the same period
last week. Oslo has averaged 2,441 new cases per day during the past week.

***Corona containment measures may be further eased, even as Omicron infection

soars in Norway, since the current wave of illness is not putting a bigger burden on
hospitals or their intensive care units. Organizers of cultural events have been
protesting the ongoing limit of 200 people at indoor events, and that’s one of the rules
that may be lifted. Dr Bjørn Guldvog told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Thursday
that the reduced threat to health care services “gives us more room to make
adjustments” to measures like the limits on public gatherings. He was worried,
though, that with so many Norwegians already out on sick leave or in quarantine,
hospitals may come under severe sta�ng pressure. It’s therefore important, he said,
to control infection.

Several hundred organizers of concerts, theater performances and other public
gatherings demonstrated in front of Parliament on Wednesday, demanding to be able
to have more than 200 people in large concert halls, theaters and cinemas. They don’t
think that would pose any greater risk than going to shopping centers, bars or
restaurants, which have been reopening recently. The demonstrators had intended to
turn over a list of their demands to the government minister of culture, Anette
Trettebergstuen, but she couldn’t meet them after testing positive to the Corona virus
herself. “This illustrates that the pandemic is still with us,” Trettebergstuen told
newspaper Dagsavisen, adding, however, that she was sorry she couldn’t meet up.
She’s also hinted that changes to the currently strict rules may be made soon.

***Health authorities expect record infection numbers in Norway over the next two
weeks, with the new wave clearly underway. Fully 15,367 new con�rmed cases of the
Corona virus were registered in Norway during the 24-hours from Tuesday to
Wednesday (January 19). The number of new cases broke all records and is the
highest since the pandemic began. There was some good news, though: “We’re
fortunately seeing that the gap between registered infection and hospital admissions
is widening with the Omicron variant,” Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health
directorate told state broadcaster NRK Wednesday morning. On Thursday (January
20), Nakstad himself announced that he’d tested positive as well after his children
had been infected at school. Nakstad said he has mild cold-like symptoms and
reckons he’s been infected with the Omicron variant.

Nakstad, who’d already gone into self-imposed quarantine, could also be

encouraged that the numbers of Corona patients needing intensive care has also
fallen. Only 74 of the 238 people hospitalized with the Corona virus on Tuesday and
Wednesday were under intensive care, with 49 on respirators. The chief medical
o�cer in Trondheim, Dr Eli-Anne Skaug, went so far as to call Omicron “a blessing
that has saved us from Delta, which was a harder variant.” She added that “most of us
are well-vaccinated” and protected from serious illness.

***The government is being criticized again for sending out mixed signals after anti-
infection measures were recently relaxed. Norwegians are being urged to avoid social
contact yet also go out and buy tickets for cultural events. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr
Støre continues to claim that Norwegians should limit the number of people they
meet, avoid public transportation and preferably work from home. His minister in
charge of culture and sports Anette Trettebergstuen, however, has urged Norwegians
to go out and enjoy cultural events or patronize reopening restaurants.

“I can understand that folks can get confused,” Kjell Ringdal, who lectures on
 communications at Kristiania College in Oslo, told newspaper Dagsavisen this week.
“I think the entire line of communication from the government re�ects that things are

moving very fast and they aren’t coordinating their remarks very well.” The criticism
over contradictory communication comes just as health o�cials are expecting a
wave of new infection that won’t crest until late January or early February before it
starts declining through the spring.

***It’s about to get easier to travel into Sweden again. The Swedish government
announced it will, starting Friday, drop its recent demand for a negative PCR test and
allow entry with just a valid Corona certi�cate documenting full vaccination. The
relaxation of entry requirements is especially good news for shopping centers just
over the border to Sweden, which have lost lots of Norwegian customers in recent
weeks. “We are very happy and wish a hearty welcome to all Norwegians who now
only need a koronapass to come into Sweden,” the leader of Nordby Shopping Center,
Ståle Løvheim, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). The additional testing
requirement had been in effect since December 28.

***As more Norwegians become less worried about Corona infection (see below),
they’re being warned that they they shouldn’t relax because the effects of “long
Covid” can linger for months. A 58-year-old Norwegian outdoors enthusiast known for
being in excellent physical shape caught Covid late last summer and didn’t suffer
much initially, but now she’s still battling fatigue, balance and concentration
problems. Newspaper Aftenposten reported how Line Mork is suffering the effects of
long Covid and hasn’t been able to work since September. Even though few are falling
seriously ill from the new Omicron variant, it’s long-term effects remain unknown.

***Around half of all Norwegians aren’t so worried about becoming infected with the
Corona virus any longer. A new survey suggests they’re at least “less afraid” of
testing positive for Corona than they were when the pandemic began. The survey,
conducted by research �rm Norstat for Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), found that 45
percent questioned claimed they are “little or very little concerned” about catching
Corona. Those least worried were in the age group 50- to 59, while men were less
worried about Corona than women.

The survey can re�ect con�dence in the effect of vaccines, not least since well over
90 percent of all adult Norwegians are fully vaccinated, many with three shots. NRK
reported that others point to how the now-dominant Omicron variant doesn’t make
people as sick as the earlier Delta variant, for example, and fewer Norwegians need to
be hospitalized. One psychologist, Peder Kjos, also told NRK that he thinks “people
are tired of being afraid” and want to start living more normally again. “We have
mastered this quite well, we’ve stood together, things are still functioning and we’re
better equipped to meet this thing,” Kjos told NRK. “Yes, a pandemic is terrible, but
we’re handling it. That contributes a lot to reducing anxiety.”


***Public health institute FHI doesn’t think children as young as �ve need to be
vaccinated against the Corona virus, but vaccine will be offered to all aged �ve to 11
from the end of January. Vaccine has already been offered to everyone over age 12
since September. There won’t be any general recommendation to parents to
vaccinate their children, though: “Since the illness isn’t serious for children, there’s
really no strong reason to vaccinate them,” Dr Margrethe Greve-Isdahl of FHI told
newspaper Aftenposten. Parents who nonetheless want to vaccinate their children
will now be able to do so.

***Norway would have faced a winter of rapidly rising Corona infection even if the
government hadn’t relaxed restrictions this week. Public health institute FHI warns
that up to 50,000 more Norwegians are likely to become infected no matter what the
government does. “An Omicron-driven winter wave is impossible to stop,” FHI wrote in
a series of reports released this week, “but it can be possible to reduce its height.”
They stress how Omicron is more contagious than earlier variants and can spread
much more quickly, also among those vaccinated.

Health authorities reported 11,597 new con�rmed cases just in the 24-hour period
from Thursday to Friday (January 14). At the same time, however, vaccination
remains the best protection against serious illness and well over 90 percent of
Norway’s adult population is now vaccinated with at least two doses. Hospital
admissions will rise, but health authorities seem con�dent they can be controlled
because Omicron presents a 50 to 70 percent lower risk of hospitalization.

There seems to be an expanding sentiment that “we need to learn to live with the
virus,” as one o�cial at national employers’ organization NHO said on NRK Friday
morning. FHI expects the Omicron wave to crest by early February, with infection
levels declining thereafter.

***Bar and restaurant owners were jubilant after the government announced it would
end its ban on serving alcohol as a means of controlling Corona virus infection.
Operators of theaters and concert halls were disappointed, however, that no more
than 200 people can gather indoors. Lots of performances faced cancellation. “We
have room for 750 people in the audience,” Kristian Seltun, head of the National
Theater in Oslo, told state broadcaster NRK after the government eased its strict
Corona containment measures Thursday night. “200 is better than (the current) 50,
but we think it would be safe to allow more people in.” Emails were already rolling in
to the thousands who bought tickets for a long-awaited concert at Oslo Spektrum by
the popular but retiring band Vazelina Bilopphøggers. Their farewell concert was
initially scheduled for last March 2020, only to be postponed again and again, now
until October of this year. Organizers of the Tromsø International Film Festival,
however, were glad they can at least sell 200 tickets to each showing next week. The

annual festival begins Monday, albeit in a still-scaled-down version.

***Corona virus infection levels in Norway set yet another record on Thursday, when
health authorities reported another 11,825 con�rmed cases in the last 24 hours. That
comes after 9,622 con�rmed cases in a 24-hour period on Wednesday, the highest
numbers since the pandemic began. Authorities warn the numbers will likely keep
rising. They reported that the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to
dominate but it’s not putting more burden on hospitals since most of those infected
aren’t seriously ill. That boosted predictions that the Norwegian government would
soon relax some of its current restrictions including a ban on serving alcoholic drinks.
(It did, see the story here.) Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) has reported how
some restaurants were cautiously reopening in Oslo already, in anticipation that they
can start pouring again as soon as this weekend.

***The Norwegian government �nally seems to be listening to all its critics and
willing to relent on some of its toughest anti-infection measures, but only if health
authorities issued such recommendations. After a weekend of confusing signals
from various government ministers, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of the Labour
Party now agrees that bars and restaurants should be able to start serving alcoholic
drinks again. He also told state broadcaster NRK early Monday morning that he
supports Education Minister Tonje Brenna after she changed her mind and now
wants to drop the current “red alert” at high schools. That would allow them to more
fully reopen, as long as there’s lots of self-testing among students.

The moves come after lots of complaints from the schools and students themselves.
A multi-partisan group of mayors from Norway’s largest cities, meanwhile, had
demanded an end to the ban on alcohol because of all the damage it was doing to
bars, restaurants and hotels. “If professional advice (from health authorities) opens
up for it, we will of course repeal the ban on serving alcohol,” Støre told NRK. He had
already promised some relief when the government reevaluates the strict Corona
containment measures introduced in mid-December. They came in response to
soaring infection levels tied to the new Omicron variant, which continues to dominate
in Norway. Another 4,184 new cases were reported overnight, 1,277 more than on
Monday morning last week. Støre said the current restrictions will remain in place,
however, until the reevaluation is due on Friday.

***More Norwegians are now able to get vaccinated at their local pharmacies, after
at least 20 municipalities started using them as an outlet to speed up vaccination
programs. Public health institute FHI was worried that the program was too slow,
jeopardizing the state’s goal of vaccinating all Norwegians 45 and over with their third
booster shot by mid-January. That’s prompted the agreements with pharmacies,
which are now offering shots to local residents at state expense in, for example,

Brandbu in Gran, Øygarden outside Bergen and Ski in Nordre Follo. News service NTB
reports that more pharmacies were expected to start offering vaccinations this week
in Asker, Bærum and Drammen. The pharmacy assistance comes in addition to
military personnel who are helping in vaccination efforts from Fredrikstad in the
south to Ålesund in the northwest.

***Nearly 40,000 vaccine skeptics in Norway changed their minds in December and
decided to get their �rst shot, according to statistics released this week by the public
health institute FHI. Health authorities were relieved, and hope more get vaccinated,
too. “We have seen an increase in the weeks before Christmas of those accepting our
offer and getting vaccinated with their �rst dose,” Dr Geir Bukholm of FHI told
newspaper Dagsavisen. “This is very good news.” A total of 38,820 agreed to �nally
be vaccinated and Bukholm said there’s also been an increase in those getting their
second shots. Around 300,000 adult Norwegians still haven’t been vaccinated.
Bukholm hopes they’ll change their minds, too, not least since the majority of those
now hospitalized with the Corona virus are not vaccinated.

“Vaccination is the most important means we have of tackling the wave of new
Omicron cases we expect will continue over the next several weeks,” Bukholm said.
Norway has been setting daily records again this week, with more than 8,000 testing
positive within a 24-hour period.

***Infection kept rising as Norwegians headed into the weekend on Friday, but the
numbers of those needing to be hospitalized have declined. Health authorities say
that’s because the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly but many getting infected
have already been vaccinated and thus don’t get so sick. Those who are not
vaccinated and become infected now can become seriously ill, and the death toll has
been rising.

***New Corona rules have exempted all those fully vaccinated with three shots from
having to spend time in quarantine if a close contact tests positive. Those fully
vaccinated but living with someone who has tested positive must be antigen-tested
every day, or every other day with PCR tests, for seven days in order to avoid
quarantine. That’s because infection risk is highest among those in the same
household. Third-doses boost immunity and thus protect much better against serious
illness, Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate told newspaper Dagsavisen
on Thursday (Jan 6).

***Pressure is building on the government to end its national ban on the serving of
alcoholic drinks around Norway. That would likely prompt bars and restaurants to
reopen, after they felt compelled to close for lack of business. National employers
organization NHO is even threatening a lawsuit against the state, as a means of

ending the ban imposed in mid-December. Revenues dove when bars, restaurants
and hotels suddenly could no longer serve drinks at the height of the holiday season.
Government o�cials, acting on the advice of health authorities, claimed the ban
would discourage social gatherings and thus lower the Corona infection risk.

Instead it’s cost jobs and contributed to making the Labour Party-led government
highly unpopular. Even the head of one of Norway’s biggest trade union federations,
who sits on Labour’s board, has demanded an end to the ban in order to get
thousands of waiters and bartenders back to work. “We have to open up again,” the
leader of Fellesforbundet, Jørn Eggum, told newspaper Aftenposten this week. Others
have pointed out that Norway is the only country in Europe that’s banned alcohol as a
Corona containment measure.

Several proposals to end the ban failed to get through Parliament this week, with the
Conservatives contending that tackling the Corona virus is the government’s
responsibility. The government has promised a re-evaluation late next week of the
tougher measures imposed on December 13, but won’t promise any easing of the
rules. Newspaper Dagsavisen was among newspapers editorializing against the ban
this week, writing that it appears to be “much too drastic.”

***Norwegians will probably have to live with Corona-related restrictions at least

through the winter, predict health authorities, after Norway set yet another record of
nearly 8,000 con�rmed cases of infection in a single day. Oslo also logged its highest
level of infection on Wednesday (1,771), with authorities warning the numbers may be
lower than actual infection. The 7,921 positive Corona test results recorded on
Wednesday (Jan 5) compare to 3,219 on the same day last week, and are 2,688
higher than on Tueday. The prior daily record set on December 14 was 6,003,
indicating that the contagious and now-dominant Omicron variant is sweeping
through the country as predicted.

“This was fully expected,” immunologist Dr Anne Spurkland, also a professor at the
University of Oslo’s medical school, told state broadcaster NRK. “I think the numbers
are low because there’s a lot of underreporting. I think the (infection) wave is bigger
than the contures we’re seeing now.” Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate
agreed, adding that many are beginning to test themselves again after a lull during
the holidays. Health authorities have expected rising infection throughout January
and into February.

***Despite a sharp rise in o�cial infection numbers on Wednesday, calls also keep
rising for an end to strict Corona containment measures that have shut down most
bars and restaurants. A ban on serving alcoholic drinks made it uneconomical to
remain open, because of all the revenues lost despite state compensation offered.

The ban is the only one of its kind in Europe and hotly disputed. Government o�cials
are due to re-evaluate their strict Corona rules next week. They’re under pressure to at
least allow drinks serving until 10pm, so that restaurants can offer wine with dinner.

***School children and youth all over Norway faced mass testing for the Corona
virus before schools reopened on Tuesday. Only those testing negative were allowed
to attend classes, but some health care experts don’t think the rapid tests being used
are reliable and that infection will spread anyway. “The quality of the rapid (antigen)
testing is so poor that we can’t rely on them,” Professor Elling Ulvestad at Haukeland
University Hospital in Begen told newspaper Aftenposten. Teachers and other
workers at schools and day care centers (only 20 percent of whom have received
third doses of booster vaccine so far) are nervous as well, even though they’re also
being tested as part of state and local Corona containment measures. In Oslo alone,
the testing is demanded of around 83,400 children and youth, 9,000 teachers and
10,700 workers at day care centers.

Labour organizations had warned against reopening the schools, since infection
levels are still rising, and have complained that local o�cials aren’t following
professional advice. “There’s no doubt that the schools have been viewed as a very
infection-prone place to be,” said Therese Thyness Fagerhaug of the labour federation
Utdanningsforbundet. High school students, meanwhile, have complained that the
state is being too strict in only allowing reopening at the “red alert” level. That
severely restricts the numbers of students allowed to attend classes and involves
more digital instruction. Education Minister Tonje Brenna of the Labour Party was
unrelenting, arguing that reopening at the “yellow” level wouldn’t adequately limit
infection in practice.

***Current Corona restrictions that have again shut down Oslo’s once-thriving bar
and restaurant business are being questioned by the leader of Oslo’s city government,
Raymond Johansen of the Labour Party. He claims he supports the national
restrictions issued by the government that’s led by his own party, but complained to
newspaper Aftenposten during the New Year’s weekend that they’re “making people
too suspicious” of one another. “First we blamed the ski tourists (coming home from
the Alps last year), then suspicions fell on the immigrant population and the russ
(partying high-school seniors),” Johansen said. “The longer we have this shutdown,
the higher con�ict levels will rise. We can’t continue with this much longer.” Prime
Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, leader of the Labour Party, agreed with Johansen that
Oslo (or other cities) “can’t be closed a single day longer than necessary” but
con�rmed the restrictions will continue at least until January 14.

***Thousands of Norwegian spent the Christmas- and New Year holidays at their

cabins or vacation homes in the mountains this year, with the pandemic expected to

send prices for the so-called hytter even higher in the year ahead. The popular holiday
homes are more valuable than ever before, not least after travel abroad has become
complicated and anti-infection measures have shut entertainment venues in many
Norwegian cities. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reports that nearly 15,000
more holiday homes were sold during 2021, adding to a boom that began even before
the pandemic. For a short while last year, o�cials controversially banned Norwegians
from visiting their hytter, for fear of overburdening local health care services in rural
areas. The ban was lifted after lots of complaints and now many think it’s better to
spend time at the hytte instead of at home in the city where infection rates are high.
Oslo, for example, remains the epicenter of the pandemic in Norway, with all bars and
most restaurants closed and other restrictions in place.

It’s all created what one real estate broker called a “surrealistic” market for the
popular holiday homes, many of which are now spacious log cabins with all the
comforts of home. Last year’s record of 14,589 hytte sales during 2020 was broken
just before Christmas, when new �gures recorded 14,687 sales with perhaps more
before New Year’s Day. Prices are up an average 7.4 percent, to NOK 2.48 million
(USD 281,000). In popular areas like Hemsedal, hytte prices average NOK 6.1
million. The hytte boom has created a new industry and lots of jobs, with demand
high for carpenters and other skilled workers, while environmentalists are alarmed
over all the large developments are destroying the nature and disturbing wildlife.

***Norway’s latest wave of Corona virus infection has prompted cancellation of

annual New Year �reworks displays in some cities but ignited them in others. While
city o�cials in Trondheim, Drammen and Kristiansand have dropped �reworks to
discourage crowds from gathering, other cities like Bergen, Tromsø and Stavanger
were planning to move forward with their shows in order to discourage private
�reworks that can cause injuries. Oslo, where infection remains highest, has also
dropped its �reworks display for the second year in a row, but newspaper
Aftenposten reported it wasn’t because of infection control measures this year. The
City Council simply didn’t set aside any funding.

***Sweden’s new and tougher border control isn’t only irritating Norwegians but also
Swedish merchants and o�cials who rely on Norwegians crossing the border to
shop. New rules have resulted in lots of Norwegians being turned back or facing
mandatory and expensive Corona virus testing. Many weren’t aware that results of a
self- or rapid antigen test aren’t good enough.

Swedish authorities tightened entry rules from December 28 in an effort to halt

imported infection, much to the irritation of retailers in Strömstad, a popular Swedish
shopping town for Norwegians. Their business has declined markedly since everyone
arriving in Sweden, including those from other Nordic countries, must now present a

negative PCR test result not older than 48 hours in addition to other documentation.
Only Swedish citizens and foreigners residing in Sweden are exempted from the new
testing requirement, a rule Strömstad Mayor Kent Hansson called “unreasonable” on
Thursday. Many Norwegian communities bordering Sweden now refuse to offer
testing for those who only want to go shopping in Sweden, meaning those crossing
the border must pay for private testing. That can cost as much as NOK 2,500  (USD
270).

State broadcaster NRK reported that tra�c over the border at the popular crossing at
Svinesund had noticeably declined after the testing requirement began on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, however, NRK reported that while controls had been strict at
Svinesund and Meråker in Trøndelag, travelers at other border stations were waved
through or that the stations didn’t appear to be staffed.

***Norway’s state-�nanced hospitals have had to postpone hundreds of operations

in recent weeks, because of a lack of intensive care capacity that’s currently
overburdened by Corona patients. Doctors won’t risk having to send other non-
Corona patients to intensive care as well. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported
that the state-run hospitals have carried out at least 1,500 fewer operations over the
past three weeks than they performed during the same weeks in December 2019,
before the pandemic began.

Both elective surgery and necessary operations have been postponed at at an

average of 524 a week. In addition come operations performed on an out-patient
basis, also because of reduced capacity resulting from the Corona virus and a lack of
staff, many out on sick leave themselves. Capacity also needs to be reserved for
emergency situations. The postponements “don’t put lives in danger, but many
patients have to accept living for a longer period with a loss of function or chronic
pain,” said the chief of orthopedics at one hospital in Oslo.

***Corona restrictions forced families into some creative Christmas celebrations

around Norway again this year, with some even setting up screens on dinner tables to
share holiday meals digitally. Infections levels, however, have sunk after peaking last
week, and fewer people have had to be hospitalized. Recent numbers from state
public health institute FHI declined during the holiday weekend, even though that also
may re�ect less testing. FHI director Dr Camilla Stoltenberg has warned that it’s
“important folks don’t get too relaxed” about infection rules, warning that the
government may need to impose even stricter rules because of uncertainty around
the new Omicron variant of the virus. Danish health authorities, for example, reported
another spike in the infection rate and tougher rules, with Norwegian authorities
warning that developments in Norway have closely followed those in Denmark. There
have been more optimistic reports, though, that those infected with Omicron don’t get

as sick and haven’t needed to be hospitalized.

Oslo remains the epicenter of the virus in Norway, with the highest numbers of
con�rmed infection, hospital admissions and deaths. The capital’s hospitalizations of
7.6 per 100,000 residents in mid-December compared to 5.9 in Vestland, 5.7 in
Vestfold and Telemark, 5 in Troms og Finnmark, 4.8 in Viken, 3.9 in Agder and 2.7 in
Rogaland.

***Norwegian pharmacies have received new stocks of rapid Corona testing

packets, after running out of them last week. Nearly 200,000 test packets were sold
just before the holidays began, as cold season prompted sni�y Norwegians to check
whether they’d been infected by the Corona virus. Several municipalities doled out
free testing kits, but health authorities then asked them to put a priority on health
care personnel and those aged seven to 18. That forced most everyone else to buy
their own testing kits before Christmas dinners began that included guests outside
immediate households.

***The Omicron variant of the Corona virus may have arrived in Norway even before
it was �rst discovered in South Africa, reported newspaper Aftenposten on Christmas
Eve. Researchers at the Norwegian public health institute FHI now think the �rst case
of imported Omicron infection may have shown up around November 17, based on
three separate outbreaks that quickly led to it dominating infection statistics by mid-
December. FHI has now started publishing Omicron results on the dates testing was
done, revealing what it calls a “much more precise and detailed picture” of how the
contagious variant grows. Analyses of 55 test results showed at least 18 various
genetically related threads in Norway, dating back to November 17 and likely coming
from other countries than South Africa.

***Even the new prime minister of Sweden, Magdalena Andersson, had to cancel a
planned holiday trip to Norway this week. Tougher anti-infection restrictions on both
sides of the border make it much more complicated to cross, because of
requirements for advance registration, negative test results and Corona certi�cates.
Now, with infection higher in Norway than in Sweden, Andersson revealed that she’d
been personally affected: “I had planned to travel to Norway for a week,” she said at a
pre-Christmas press conference. “I have cancelled it because of the high spread of
infection in Norway. It’s of course still possible to travel to Norway, but I chose to
cancel.”

***Increasing numbers of Norwegians have been showing up at vaccination centers

to receive their �rst dose, nearly a year after Norway’s vaccination program began.
Some have been skeptical of vaccines, others have simply dreaded getting a shot, but
they’re �nally joining the national effort to ward off serious illness. Newspaper

Aftenposten reports that many venturing into the large new vaccination center at the
old Munch Museum in Oslo had previously rejected offers of vaccine. “Now there are
so many different types of Corona and I got worried,” one woman told Aftenposten. “I
think it’s right to get vaccinated now.”

More than 90 percent of Norway’s adult population has received at least two doses
of the vaccine, and 80 percent of those over 65 have received three. “We’re now
seeing a promising upturn in �rst-time doses, nearly 2,000 a day last week,” Dr Preben
Aavitsland of state public health institute FHI told  Aftenposten. “We think it has to do
with all the attention on the new outbreaks and the Omicron variant.” FHI reported
that �rst-time vaccinations are rising all over the country.

***Norway’s new national Corona restrictions have forced cancellation of hundreds

of thousands of Christmas parties and family gatherings all over the country. That’s
good news for many, reports newspaper Aftenposten, who dread much of the annual
holiday hype, high expectations and forced socializing with people they otherwise
never see during the year. “The pandemic has split up families in smaller groups,”
wrote one respondent to a survey carried out both before and after last year’s Corona
Christmas. “That was just �ne, especially since the part that didn’t celebrate with us
is the part I don’t like.” The survey, conducted by research insitute Kifo, also elicited
responses that it “was wonderful to avoid a huge Christmas celebration with the
whole family,” and that the ban on company Christmas parties and others “made it in
fact possible to relax during the holidays.” Another wrote that the ban on large
gatherings “allowed plenty of time to be together with those we’re closest to.” The
lack of long-distance travel also relieved stress.

***With Omicron infection quadrupling in Norway during the past week, questions
are �ying over whether current Corona containment measures are working. Top
health authorities are themselves in doubt over what’s the best means of bringing
infection numbers down. They did subside in some areas during the weekend (see
below), but not enough to please authorities like Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of the
public health institute FHI. “No one believes that the spread of the Omicron variant
can be stopped,” she said at a press conference before the Christmas holidays begin
from Thursday afternoon, “but everyone hopes the spread can be delayed.”

State health director Dr Bjørn Guldvog said it was too early to conclude whether
current national restrictions are adequate. “We think the public’s cooperation in
adapting to the national measures works … but infection levels are at a high level in
Norway and Omicron is increasing every week.”

***Oslo’s old Munch Museum is now being used as a vaccination center by the City
of Oslo, which owns the museum building in Oslo’s Tøyen district. The museum has

been closed since October, when the new Munch Museum opened on the city’s
eastern waterfront. With Corona infection still rising rapidly, the state urged all
municipalities to speed up their vaccination programs. The old Munch Museum
provided space needed to offer as many as 1,000 vaccinations a day, most of them
third booster shots now being offered to everyone aged 45 and over.

***Infection numbers began to decline a bit during the weekend, with fewer falling ill
with the Corona virus nationwide but more continuing to test positive in Oslo, Bergen
and several other Norwegian cities. The new Omicron variant remains the
culprit. After earlier being able to boast among the lowest infection levels in Europe
and the world, both Norway and Denmark were documented late last week as having
the steepest increases, also because of Omicron. The two countries’ Corona trends
have largely followed one another all along, with both also now plunged back into
various forms of lockdown in the midst of the Christmas holidays. Sweden,
meanwhile, which had among the highest infection rates in Europe, now has among
the lowest. Its new restrictions are now ironically aimed at protecting Swedes from
imported infection from its two Scandinavian neighbours. Sweden has managed to
largely fend off Omicron, while it’s running rampant in Norway and Denmark.

***The Omicron variant that was �rst discovered in South Africa and showed up in
Norway just a few weeks ago has also complicated Oslo o�cials’ efforts to track
infection. That’s because it’s so contagious, can infect those who are fully vaccinated
and often has few symptoms or only those associated with the common cold. Many
of those testing positive for Omicron haven’t realized they’re ill and felt protected
because they’re fully vaccinated. The vaccinations do, however, protect against
serious illness.

***Even a local funeral company has joined the Norwegian government’s latest
campaign to promote Corona vaccinations. The company, Verd Begravelse, ran full-
page newspaper ads in, for example, Aftenposten, with just one simple line of text
posted on an otherwise black background: “It’s too late to change your mind in the
grave.” The message was clear: Get vaccinated. More than 90 percent of all adult
Norwegians are, with the hold-outs currently accounting for more than half of all
those currently hospitalized and �lling intensive care wards. Local o�cials, though,
are reporting more cases of people �nally showing up for their �rst shots, and they’re
welcomed.

***Education Minister Tonje Brenna says she understands that many schools were
closing around Norway and shifting over to digital instruction at home, because of
high infection levels. She’d wanted schools to stay open until the Christmas holidays
begin December 22, but local communities can make their own decisions based on
their own situations. In addition to infection concerns, many schools have very high

numbers of teachers, other staff and children already out on sick leave. “Closing
schools is a very serious move, both for children and their parents,” Brenna told state
broadcaster NRK. “Given the situation, though, I understand the decisions made.”

Brenna wasn’t happy, however, with parents who took matters into their own hands
and kept their children home, for fear they’d become infected just before Christmas.
“My clear request is to send children and youth to school and to day care centers as
long as they remain open,” said Brenna, who represents the Labour Party. Teachers in
some areas asked local o�cials to close schools, based on lack of adequate sta�ng
caused by illness and quarantine requirements. In Oslo, the Labour-led city
government initially denied the request, but later changed their minds and closed
down all schools in the capital.

***Oslo’s venerable Hotel Continental is among those closing this week, after the
government issued much stricter Corona containment measures that cut deeply into
the hospitality industry’s revenues. The last guest checked out on Wednesday, the
hotel’s historic Theatercaféen had to close at the height of the julebord (Christmas
party) season, and more than 150 employees were laid off. A four-week ban on the
sale of all alcoholic drinks in bars and restaurants has hit especially hard, with most
all other restaurants closing, too, except for take-away meals. “We couldn’t wait for a
salary compensation plan (due Friday) when we didn’t know what it would include,”
Continental’s director Nina Brandanger told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN). She
and others in the industry hope the new restrictions will end in mid-January and that
business will return quickly. The Scandic hotel chain has also closed hotels and sent
out hundreds of lay-off notices to employees.

***Norwegians still hoping to travel home for the holidays were advised to travel
early, in order to avoid crowding on public transportation on Lille Juleaften, the day
before Christmas Eve. Everyone using public transportation from trams to trains and
planes must also remember face masks during the entire trip. “It’s best to plan to
leave early and don’t travel on Lille Juleaften (Thursday December 23 this year),” Dr
Espen Rostrup Nakstad of the state health directorate told newspaper VG on
Wednesday.

Nakstad also called on everyone to limit social contact during the Christmas and
New Year holidays, and before them as well. On a personal note, Nakstad himself is
among those having to cancel planned book signings in bookstores during the rest of
the Christmas shopping season. Nakstad wrote the book Kode Rød (Code Red) about
the pandemic, and planned to meet the public and sign books next week. Publisher
Gyldendal has, however, called off all book signings because of the infection threat.

***The Norwegian government rolled out more economic compensation packages to


aid businesses, cultural organizations and workers hit hardest by the country’s return
to “lockdown light.” Not everyone was satis�ed, and enhancements are likely.
Meanwhile, earlier compensation programs will be extended, aid to municipalities will
be strengthened, businesses can once again apply for loan guaratees and the state
will cover the costs of restaurants’ perishable food, for example, that can no longer
be served because they’re forced to close for at least the next four weeks. Plans are
also underway to provide more salary support for businesses reluctant to lay off
workers once again.

Another NOK 1.1 billion will be allocated to compensate cultural organizations and
workers who’ve had to cancel concerts, performances and a variety of other special
holiday events. Special funding will also be set aside for stimulus packages in early
2022. Special unemployment compensation has also been set aside for those losing
their jobs in the latest wave of anti-infection measures. “The new (Corona
containment) measures mean more insecurity in the labour market,” said Labour
Minister Hadia Tajik at the government’s latest press conference Tuesday. “It’s
therefore necessary to extend programs so that folks out of work can be taken care
of.”

Neither employer organizations nor left-leaning parties in Parliament were pleased

by the compensation offers so far, however, saying they were “not good enough”
given another round of forced business closures at the height of their most important
season of the year. Others complained of a lack of clarity in measures aimed at
preserving jobs.

***Norwegians face even more anti-infection measures, similar to a “lockdown-light,”

as the new Omicron variant of the Corona virus keeps spreading. Norway now has the
highest rate of infection in Europe, with nearly 1,000 con�rmed cases of the highly
contagious Omicron, which has now been detected nationwide. Oslo, where
Omicron �rst turned up in Norway and infected scores of fully vaccinated guests at a
Christmas party, has registered the highest number of cases so far, with 472 as of
Monday morning. The surrounding Viken County had the next-largest number (233),
with a total of 958 registered around the country so far.

“There’s still great uncertainty tied to the Omicron variant’s characteristics,” Dr Espen
Nakstad of the state health directorate told newspaper Dagbladet heading into the
weekend. “We can’t rule out that there can be a need for stricter measures.” Nor could
either Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre or Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol, who
repeated such warnings throughout the weekend. Støre con�rmed the new
restrictions at a press conference Monday night.

What’s most alarming is that vaccines aren’t protecting against Omicron infection,

although they are believed to prevent serious illness. Both Støre and the rest of the
government have been reluctant to impose more regulations, because of the effect
they have on the economy and the threat they pose to jobs. No one wants to be laid
off again just before Christmas, but bars and restaurants were likely to close. Støre
promised that businesses affected by the latest crackdown would be eligible for state
compensation.

It’s the growing burden on hospitals and health care workers that’s forcing more
restrictions. All concerts, parties and other indoor gatherings with more than 600
people attending have already been cancelled, along with many others. “If the
situation develops in an even more serious direction, we may need to shut down
society either completely or partially,” the state Health Directorate wrote in its latest
professional evaluation.

***A wave of cancellations tied to the reinstatement of strict anti-infection measures

last week set off predictable demands for state compensation for businesses most
affected. They include restaurants, hotels and the entertainment sector,  and the
government gave in to the demands including a measure that will help cover
employers’ salary costs so they won’t have to lay off workers again. Many restaurant
owners in particular fear that they’ll lose their workers permanently if they have to lay
off again, and won’t have enough staff when normal operations can resume. The
government had initially resisted taking on the costs of salary support, but Finance
Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum reversed his position on the grounds Norway’s
economy otherwise has rebounded: “We’re in a very different situation now than
when the Corona crisis began.” Long-term damage to the restaurant business, he
noted, could be more costly than compensation packages now.

***The recent infection rate spike has created huge demand for testing, resulting in
lines so long at testing stations that many Norwegians have opted to buy expensive
self-testing kits. Supplies ran out at pharmacies all over the country: “We had no idea
there’d be such demand,” one pharmacy manager told state broadcaster NRK. The
Omicron alarm and daily infection records has since mostly emptied warehouses,
even though health authorities bought more than 10 million self-tests this autumn.
Then came the fourth wave, with Oslo city o�cials still planning to open three new
testing centers this week.

***The leader of Oslo’s city government is the latest top Norwegian politician to fall
ill with the Corona virus. Raymond Johansen of the Labour Party con�rmed himself
on social media Friday that he was in isolation, and he was later con�rmed to be
infected with the new Omicron strain. “On Wednesday evening I developed symptoms
like a cold and got tested,” Johansen wrote. A follow-up test was also positive, and
one of Johansen’s colleagues has tested positive as well. All journalists and others

attending Johansen’s press conference Thursday have been alerted and urged to get
tested themselves. “I feel fairly well,” Johansen wrote. “But I’m in isolation
regardless.” His positive results come just after former Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s
husband also tested positive (see below) and after Norway set yet another infection
record on Friday, with 5,355 con�rmed cases nationwide in the 24-hour period ending
at midnight on Thursday. That’s 1,215 more cases than during the same period a
week earlier.

***Former Prime Minister Erna Solberg had to go into quarantine this week, after her
husband Sindre Finnes was con�rmed to have become infected with the Corona
virus. He’s in isolation at the couple’s apartment in Oslo while Solberg is in quarantine
at another unspeci�ed location. Solberg told newspaper VG that she has so far tested
negative to the virus and has no symptoms.  “But I’m keeping to myself and am a bit
bored in the home o�ce.” Finnes, who works for the business trade association
Norsk Industri, told state broadcaster NRK that he �rst felt like he had a bad cold on
Monday. His symptoms became more like in�uensa on Tuesday. “I’m working from
home but was half-time on sick leave the �rst few days,” he said. He added that he
doesn’t know where or how he became infected, or which strain of the virus he has: “I
have called all my close contacts and none of them has tested positive.”

***The City of Bergen rolled out more new anti-infection rules on Thursday,
extending mandatory use of face masks to all indoor public places. All new
con�rmed cases of the Corona virus will be handled as if they’re the highly
contagious Omicron strain, meaning mandatory isolation for the ill person and 10
days of quarantine for all family members and other close contacts. Schools with
virus outbreaks can revert to home-schooling, and the opening hours of all day-care
centers and after-school programs will be reduced. “We have to try to secure an
overview of the situation and try to control it,” stated chief medical o�cer Dr Trond
Egil Hansen. “With such dramatically high infection numbers as today (471), we’re
losing an overview of how infection is being transmitted.”

***The highly contagious Omicron strain of the Corona virus has now been
con�rmed in Oslo, Rogaland, Trøndelag and Viken counties. Several other cases are
suspected but con�rming them takes time. The actual number of con�rmed cases
stood at 43 as of Thursday afternoon.

***Norway kept registering more daily infection records this week, with 5,143 new
con�rmed cases of the Corona virus logged overnight on Wednesday and then 5,259
more on Thursday. They’re the highest numbers in a single day since the pandemic
began. News bureau NTB reported that an average of 3,446 new cases had been
registered every day during the past week. That’s up from 3,003 during the prior week,
according to the state health directorate. The high numbers come just after the

Norwegian government launched a new crackdown on rising infection levels that are
likely to spoil the Christmas holiday season once again. The main concern now is a
rise in hospital admissions and the numbers of Corona patients needing intensive
care. That in turn has forced postponement of other scheduled operations all over the
country.

***A young Norwegian football fan found out just how di�cult and risky it can be to
head out traveling as Corona containment measures tighten up again. He not only
missed the football match he’d wanted to see but wound up in hotel quarantine for 10
days at his own expense. Newspaper Aftenposten reported how fully vaccinated
Yngve Olaussen, age 27, �ew from Norway to England last Monday to see a
Liverpool-Everton football match on Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, however,
he received a message on his phone from British health authorities that he had to go
into isolation for 10 days. If he didn’t, he’d have to pay a thousand-pound �ne (around
NOK 12,000).

The vaccinations he’d had in Norway didn’t qualify him to avoid isolation. British
rules demand that all close contacts of anyone infected with the new Omicron strain
must self-isolate regardless of vaccination status. He wasn’t told with whom he’d had
close contact, but thinks it must have been someone on board his �ight. Now he
must pay another NOK 7,000 for his hotel room in Liverpool, and all food must be
delivered to his room. It didn’t help that he has no Corona symptoms and tested
negative upon arrival. “It’s di�cult to evaluate how various countries carry out their
border control, quarantine rules and border testing,” Dr Espen Nakstad of the state
health directorate told Aftenposten. “Rules can also change quickly.”

***Both Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Norwegian Air are reinstating rules calling
for use of face masks on board all �ights again. SAS demands them starting this
week, while Norwegian initially was recommending their use by all passengers. Face
masks are already required on public transportation in the Oslo metropolitan area,
inside stores while shopping and inside health care institutions.

***More long lines formed at Corona testing stations over the weekend, with some
people waiting as long as two hours outdoors in freezing temperatures. New
regulations and virus concerns more than doubled the numbers of people feeling a
need to get tested in Oslo. The long lines prompted health authorities to revise their
guidelines for testing: Instead of getting tested at the slightest concern about
infection, they were urging Oslo residents to only join the queue if they actually felt
sick, and then make sure they were warmly dressed. The goal was to shorten waiting
time and relieve pressure on health care personnel. “Many have been getting tested
with the thought it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Dr Miert Skjoldborg Lindboe, chief
medical o�cer for Oslo, told newspaper Dagsavisen, “but you should have a reason,

like symptoms or a request from infection-trackers.”

***Oslo has been posting record numbers of con�rmed infection almost daily, and
concerns are high that the new Omicron strain is spreading quickly. One Oslo doctor
in charge of infection control in the Vestre Aker district said on Monday that she
doesn’t think current restrictions are strong enough. Nearly 700 new con�rmed cases
of the Corona virus (691) were recorded during the 24 hours ending at midnight
Sunday, fewer than on the same day last week but still high.

***Long lines formed at Norway’s borders again on Friday, after new anti-Omicron
infection measures took effect from midnight Thursday. The measures, which include
mandatory testing at border crossings, are aimed at trying to control the spread of
the newest strain of the Corona virus after it made a startling debut in Norway this
week (see below). The Omicron infection that swept through a company Christmas
party (julebord) last weekend is believed to stem from one employee who’d recently
been in South Africa, where Omicron was �rst discovered. That prompted the
government to �nally reimpose more restrictions, including proof of vaccination and
testing when entering the country. Lines were longest at Norway’s gateway airport in
Oslo, OSL Gardermoen, and at the busy border crossing from Sweden on the E6
highway at Svinesund. The new restrictions at the Svinesund crossing have also
disrupted border trade at large nearby shopping centers on the Swedish side that
cater to Norwegians because of Sweden’s lower prices: “We did not see this coming,”
said Ole Jørgen Lind, who runs the large Maximat grocery store at Nordby. “I’m
absolutely certain this is going to hurt sales.”

***Local o�cials in Sweden may be relieved that the hordes of Norwegians coming
to shop on their side of the border are likely to thin. They’d already seen rising
infection in the area that extends south to Strömstad, and suspect it came with
holiday shoppers from Norway, where 4,140 new con�rmed cases of the Corona virus
were registered on Thursday alone. That set yet another new record for a 24-hour
period.

***More cases of the new Omicron strain of the Corona virus were suspected in
Trondheim heading into the weekend. The city’s chief medical o�cer, Dr Tove
Røsstad, said they involved nine people who, in connection with some traveling, have
been de�ned as close contacts of another who has tested positive to the strain. She
fears they were infected on the same airline �ight. The most common symptoms of
the Omicron strain are headache, sore throats and coughing, most of which are
viewed as mild.


***Even after more than half the guests at a company Christmas party in Oslo were
infected by the new Omicron strain of the Corona virus, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr
Støre still wouldn’t completely halt the often large events where alcoholic drinks �ow
freely. “Everyone must make their own evaluations” over whether to attend, Støre said
at a press conference Thursday (Dec 2). All the newly infected guests at the party,
called a julebord, were also fully vaccinated, but Støre continued to claim that vaccine
remains everyone’s best means of protecting themselves.

“It is possible to host a julebord and respect the rules (about staying a meter apart
or else using a face mask) at the same time,” Støre insisted. He urged Norwegians to
“use common sense,” adding that he thinks most understand distancing needs and a
need to “limit your near contacts.” His government still won’t ban the julebord season
this year, for fear of the economic consequences for bars and restaurants, but has
limited privately organized events to 100 guests.

***The Omicron strain of the Corona virus has made its debut in Norway, and more
con�rmed cases are expected. Four people who have recently been in South Africa
tested positive for the variant (omikron in Norwegian), o�cials announced on
Wednesday. Two of those infected live in Øygarden outside Bergen and returned from
South Africa on November 20, according to the local infection prevention o�cer, Dr
Bjørg Møllerløkken. That’s before alarms rang about the variant (see below) that was
�rst discovered in South Africa, and before Norwegian o�cials demanded that
anyone returning from South Africa be placed in hotel quarantine.

Møllerkøkken said local o�cials have “an overview” of close contacts of those
infected, who already are recovering. The two others con�rmed with the Omicron
variant landed at Norway’s gateway airport OSL Gardermoen November 26 and 28,
and are in isolation at a nearby quarantine hotel. The variant is known to spread
quickly, with newspaper VG reporting that a new outbreak of the Corona virus in
Oslo’s a�uent Frogner area may also be the Omicron variant. A resident of Moss is
also suspected to be infected with Omicron.

“I can understand that this can seem frightening to some,” Health Minister Ingvild
Kjerkol told reporters, “but we have been prepared for this and have plans to handle
infection quickly.” Norwegian health authorities also don’t think those infected with
Omicron will become seriously ill, especially if they’re fully vaccinated.

***Political quarreling over infection measures, or the lack thereof, has emerged
openly in Norway. After 20 months of support and solidarity for the former
government’s strategy, and praise for how it handled the Corona crisis, the new
government faces criticism and is trying hard to fend it off. Con�icts played out live in
Parliament and on national TV Tuesday (Nov 30), when Prime Minister Jonas Gahr

Støre addressed the current Corona situation and his government’s plans for tackling
record-high levels of infection. The prime minister and Oslo’s city government leader,
both from the Labour Party, want to keep Norway open and have so far rejected
stricter measures that would have high economic and social costs.

Politicians from the Conservative Party, meanwhile, are alarmed by weeks of rising
infection levels, hospitalizations and deaths. Even before the Conservatives’ leader
and former prime minister Erna Solberg could voice her concerns in Parliament,
though, the leader of Labour’s parliamentary delegation Rigmor Aasrud lashed out at
government critics from the podium. She claimed Norway “can now tolerate more
infection” than it could earlier, blasting “empty” criticism from politicians in opposition
who were “more interested in generating headlines.” MP Marit Arnstad of the Center
Party, which shares government power with Labour, also expressed “amazement” at
the criticism from the opposition in Parliament, noting the critics had not come up
with alternative proposals of their own.

Solberg shot back, urging �rmer rules and not just recommendations that many
Norwegians are not following. She also warned against relying too heavily on
vaccines that may not be offering as much protection as previously thought, since
many of those now in hospital are fully vaccinated. Solberg still thinks her successors
in government are offering too little, too late. She already had editorial support from
several political commentators who also called this week for tougher measures, not
just recommendations. “This is the new government’s �rst Corona test,” editorialized
newspaper Dagsavisen. “We’re all weary now, and tired of restrictions … but face
masks should probably be mandatory, and we expect other preventive measures.”

***Oslo Mayor Raymond Johansen urged local residents on Monday (Nov 29) to go
to Christmas parties and “don’t cancel” other social plans, even as the World Health
Organization (WHO) was describing the newly dubbed Omikron strain of the Corona
virus as posing a new and “very high” global risk. Neither Johansen, who represents
the Labour Party, nor Norway’s Labour-led national government, have been willing to
impose tough anti-infection measures despite another rise in con�rmed cases of the
virus.

Johansen’s additional “don’t panic” warning on national radio Monday morning also
came just as Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, leader of the public health institute FHI, was
conceding that the new strain of the virus may already have arrived in Norway. “We
still have to see how this new variant behaves in a country like Norway,” Stoltenberg
told state broadcaster NRK. “We have cold weather and winter and it’s the season for
this kind of infection, but also a population that’s vaccinated to a higher
degree.” Stoltenberg thinks Corona has become “less dangerous” because fewer
people infected now become seriously ill. FHI, however, remains “very uncertain”

about the new overall risk.

Johansen, meanwhile, has markedly changed his approach from the days when he
repeatedly wagged his �nger at press conferences and imposed strict rules and
lockdown measures in Oslo. Now he seems more concerned, as has the national
government, about the effect of strict Corona measures on the economy. There’s a
new political reluctance (see below) to force bars, restaurants, concert halls and
other social gathering places to curtail operations or outright close. “I think the most
important thing is to breathe easier and not exaggerate the situation, or demand lots
of measure that we don’t need,” Johansen told NRK. “We’re acting based on the facts
we have now, on the degree of vaccination, infection and admission to hospitals.
None of that suggests we should invoke drastic measures.”

***The Labour-led Oslo- and national government’s reluctance to impose national

anti-Corona measures has met �rm and loud opposition from top Conservative Party
politicians. They blasted Oslo Mayor Raymond Johansen’s refusal, at least so far, to
crack down on rising infection rates in the national capital, and even urge Oslo
residents to go out and enjoy holiday parties. “We are worried that we’ll have to have
even more invasive measures if we don’t rein in things now,” Erlend Svardal Bøe of the
Conservative Party said Monday (Nov 28) during a heated debate with Johansen on
NRK’s morning radio talk show Politisk kvarter. Member of Parliament Tone
Wilhelhelmsen Trøen of the Conservatives also has been among those criticizing the
Labour-led governments’ handling of the ongoing pandemic. There’s still a chance,
however, that Labour Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will heed calls from other
mayors and regional governments around the country to impose tougher national
rules, during a scheduled address to Parliament on Tuesday.

***Soaring Corona infection rates and concern over a new strain of the virus have
prompted more calls for tougher national measures in Norway. The Oslo Stock
Exchange was among those being battered all over the world on Friday, and the oil
price fell all week long. Norway’s North Sea crude was selling for less than USD 77 a
barrel Friday afternoon, down from  USD 86 just a few weeks ago, and the main index
of the Oslo Stock Exchange fell 3.3 percent. Some analysts think the renewed market
turbulence may even cancel the Norwegian central bank’s plans to raise interest
interest rates, as a new economic chill added to cold temperatures as winter sets in.

The new Norwegian government hasn’t wanted to reimpose stricter national

infection control measures, worrying that would halt the country’s economic recovery.
Hospital bosses, all the mayors in Vestland County and now many in southeast
Norway as well are, however, pleading for them in order to curb infection. Health
Minister Ingvild Kjerkol said on Friday that she was worried about the new and highly
contagious virus variant from South Africa that’s already prompted the UK and EU to

halt �ights from six countries in southern Africa. Kjerkol said state o�cials were
working to gather more information on the variant and evaluating various measures.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre plans to address Parliament on the Corona situation
on Tuesday.

***Norwegians are being warned against foreign travel, not by their government but
by travel insurance company Tryg. Rising Corona infection levels all over Europe
mean more countries may impose shutdowns or even close borders, with Denmark
tightening its entry rules on Friday. “Those who take the chance of traveling out of
Norway now can risk their trip being cancelled or greatly limited because of new
Corona rules at their destination,” Tryg wrote in a press release that was not popular
with tour arrangers, hotels or airlines. “We recommend that people don’t plan travel
abroad right now, but wait until the pandemic subsides.” Tryg o�cials also warned
that travel insurance won’t cover costs tied to national Corona measures, like the
closures ordered in Austria this week.

***All the mayors in Vestland County have sent a letter to Norway’s state Health
Directorate, asking for stricter Corona virus containment measures at the national
level. They all stated they were “extremely worried” about ever-rising infection rates,
and don’t think regional restrictions are su�cient. State authorities themselves
reported that an additional 4,575 new con�rmed cases of the Covid-19 were
registered on Thursday. They blamed the unusually high number on additional cases
from Tuesday that mistakenly weren’t included in earlier �gures.

Bergen already has imposed face mask requirements and other stricter measures,
but now several other west coast municipalities claim they’re having trouble
coordinating strategies and communicating them. They also complain their local
health care services are under pressure and capacity is at the bursting point. Prime
Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced Thursday that he would address Parliament on
the Corona situation in Norway early next week. His new Labour-Center Party
government has been reluctant to impose tougher national measures because of
what they’d cost society and a recovering economy.

***Oslo’s city government now wants everyone to wear face masks when riding on
public transportation, in taxis and when shopping in stores. The doors on Norway’s
metro, trams and buses will also start opening automatically again, so passengers
won’t have to touch any buttons. Rising levels of Corona infection prompted Oslo
o�cials to start reimposing infection control measures on Wednesday. Mass testing
of children will continue, all health care workers will be offered a third dose of Corona
vaccine and the city will start offering vaccinations at some schools and workplaces.

The measures are recommended, not required, and critics were already complaining

that they’re not strict enough. Both the national and local governments remain
reluctant to reimpose restrictions that can harm a recovering economy and threaten
jobs again. “Everyone in Oslo knows the price of invasive measures,” said Raymond
Johansen of the Labour, who heads Oslo’s city government, at a meeting on
Wednesday. “If we do more than is really needed it can cause great damage, but we
do have to act.” His government is still refraining from introduction of Corona
certi�cates that would require proof of vaccination to enter many public places.

***Norway’s fear of imported infection played out last week, when an Air India �ight
on its way to Chicago asked to land in Oslo because of a medical emergency on
board. The aircraft was kept well away from the airport’s main terminal, as were its
roughly 300 passengers. Since the �ight came from a country with high Corona
infection, Norway’s borders effectively closed to all on board. Newspaper
Aftenposten reported that after hours of waiting, frustrated passengers were �nally
allowed to leave the aircraft, which was parked in a closed-off area of OSL
Gardermoen. An OSL spokesperson said they were given food, drink and access to
restrooms while airport staff arranged transport to a quarantine hotel. The passenger
with the medical emergency had died before the plane landed, and the body was
taken off the aircraft to arrange for transport back to India. Everyone on board ended
up spending an unwanted day at the Oslo airport until the Air India �ight could �nally
take off again and continue to Chicago, a day late. The incident occurred just as
Norway’s government was announcing stricter border control for everyone else
entering Norway, after 9,000 cases of imported infection have been registered since
late August.

From November 26, everyone arriving in Norway including Norwegians, must pre-

register via the government website entrynorway.no. Travelers must carry a
con�rmation of their registration that can be shown to police at the border. Travelers
must also produce a valid corona certi�cate documenting vaccination. Those who
are not vaccinated must present negative test results from within the prior 24 hours.

***The head of intensive care at one of Norway’s largest hospitals confronted Prime
Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol on Monday, during a
visit they made to Akershus University Hospital just northeast of Oslo. He’s not at all
satis�ed with how they’re handling the Corona crisis, as infection keeps spreading
and hospital admissions keep rising. “It’s depressing when you just say that everyone
should stop shaking hands, and that (Corona containment) measures are to be set by
local communities,” Dr Ole Kristian Fossum told Støre and Kjerkol, as TV cameras
rolled. Fossum claims they “have not shown that they’re capable of imposing
infection control measures that work. We need help from the state health
authorities.” He expressed his frustration to both Støre and Kjerkol, and strongly
suggested that mandatory use of face masks would be a “simple measure” that

would help. He thinks more such measures can contribute towards preventing a new
lockdown like those now occurring in Austria and elsewhere around Europe.

Støre’s Labour-Center government remains reluctant to impose stricter measures,

for fear of the effect on the economy. Fossum, however, said it was “di�cult” to see
everything open while hospitals in many Norwegian cities are under pressure. Several
are postponing operations, also because they’re struggling with many staff members
out  sick, infected both at home and on the job. Kjerkol countered that “we have not
con�rmed that national face mask requirements would be effective or correct” on a
national basis.

***New Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also had to tolerate some criticism from
neighbouring countries when he met fellow government leaders at a recent Nordic
Council gathering in Copenhagen. Nordic relations have been strained at times during
the pandemic, with Swedish politician Hans Wallmark of the conservative party
Moderaterna characterizing Norway’s closed borders as “pandemic nationalism.” He
claimed it was important to stop infection, not people. Støre wasn’t in charge then,
but defended former Prime Minister Erna Solberg by noting that imported infection
was a real threat. Norway is suffering consequences of its border restrictions now,
though, with many Swedish workers deciding not to return to jobs in Norway and lots
of other foreign labour staying home, too. That’s led to a labour shortage in many
�elds in Norway. Now, with infection rising in Norway, some border restrictions are
also reappearing (see below).

***Complaints are rising that Norwegian communities aren’t offering booster shots
of the Corona vaccine quickly enough. Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol conceded on
Friday that she wants the local governments responsible for vaccination programs to
“speed up” vaccinations, especially for those aged 65 and over. She claimed she
wasn’t sure why booster shot programs were lagging. She claimed local communities
have been shipped the vaccine doses necessary and she claimed that she wants
everyone over 65 to get a booster shot by Christmas. The rest of the population will
be offered third shots throughout 2022.

Kjerkol and Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl held another Corona press
conference Friday, in which they rolled out some stricter Corona control
measures that were quickly criticized by some medical professionals as not being
nearly strict enough. “We want to keep society as open as possible,” Kjerkol
countered, as she resisted imposition of new national measures and largely left it up
to local governments to make their own rules. She did urge all Norwegians, however,
to “do more to control infection,” including staying home at the �rst sign of any
Corona symptoms, getting tested and refraining from handshakes or hugs.


***Bergen has registered a new infection record and lines are long for those over 65
who qualify for a third booster shot. In Trondheim, local o�cials want the state to
reimpose Corona-related controls at a nearby border crossing to Sweden, in an effort
to limit imported infection. State broadcaster NRK reported on Thursday, meanwhile,
that a total of 209 new cases of the Corona virus in Bergen were con�rmed in the 24
hours from midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday. That set a new record for daily
infection and city o�cials are evaluating new virus containment measures including
mandatory use of face masks in public. In Trondheim, where infection rates are also
high, municipal director Morten Wolden is asking the government to reinstate border
control to hinder imported infection. “With a new ‘all-time high’ in Norway yesterday
(see below), we need to ward off a new round of imported infection,” Wolden told
NRK. He wants everyone arriving to be able to show documentation of full
vaccination and/or quarantine rules.

***Norway’s state health directorate has cancelled its own large Christmas party for
employees, because of the recent rise in Corona infection. The health authorities had
planned the party for months, as a way of thanking employees for nearly two years of
extra hard work during the Corona crisis that even they thought was winding down.
The plan was for everyone to gather in the Health Directorate’s own headquarters
next Friday for a longed-for celebration after last year’s party was also cancelled
along with most others. “It was very di�cult to cancel, we were all looking forward to
it,” assistant director Olav Valen Slåttebrekk told NRK. “We really felt a need to meet
again (after months of home o�ce use) and get back to normal.” After a “total
evalution,” though, he and others decided to cancel, citing “a special responsibility to
be better safe than sorry.” He denied the directorate was sending any signals to
others to do the same: “This was a decision based on an evaluation of our work and
responsibility. I’m not giving advice about Christmas parties to Oslo folks.”

***Norway’s public health institute (FHI) con�rmed another infection record on

Wednesday, after registering fully 2,552 cases of the Corona virus in just one day. FHI
also con�rmed that new cases of infection, hospitalizations and deaths tied to the
virus have risen for the fourth week in a row. “We see that we’re in a period with a
rising trend,” Line Vold of FHI (Folkehelse instituttet) told state broadcaster
NRK. Vold, in charge of tracking Norway’s key Corona statistics, noted that the
increase over the past week is “less steep” than in prior weeks, “but it’s still a rising
trend.” If it continues, she said, “we’ll have a relatively high number of hospital
admissions in the coming weeks. We therefore want to reverse this trend.”

That suggests another round of Corona-related restrictions looms. The elderly

remain the most vulnerable, even though they’re mostly all fully vaccinated. Corona-
related deaths registered last week were the highest so far this year. Infection is also
rising among children and youth, Fully 11,773 people were registered as being

infected last week, up 45.2 percent over the week before. Most of the cases were in
Tromsø, Oslo and Trøndelag, where a new strain of the virus has been declared more
contagious than earlier strains.

***Intensive care wards at Norwegian hospitals are �lling up with Corona patients, as
infection levels keep rising around the country. Akershus University Hospital (Ahus)
reports its ward is “completely full,” while St Olav’s Hospital in Trondheim has had to
postpone operations because of its highest number of Corona patients since the
pandemic began. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported on Tuesday that a third of
St Olav’s Corona patients are in its intensive care ward, most of them on respirators.
In addition to postponing all planned operations “that can wait,” out-patient
consultations and surgical procedures are also being postponed. Only cancer
patients, those requiring emergency care and children are exempted. Ahus in
Lørenskog, just northeast of Oslo, had nearly double the number of patients needing
intensive care as it has intensive beds, but was increasing sta�ng. State o�cials in
charge of the hospitals have claimed they are closely watching infection- and hospital
capacity levels, but there was no immediate response from Health Minister Ingvild
Kjerkol.

***Oslo plans to start mass testing of children this week, in another effort to lower a
sharp rise in Corona virus infection. The goal is to identify those with Corona as
opposed to those with common seasonal colds, and hinder the spread of
infection. “The most effective way of doing that is through mass testing in the
schools,” Raymond Johansen, head of Oslo’s city government, told newspaper
Aftenposten. He fears many parents may unwittingly be sending their children to
school with the virus, and thus exposing others. He called the testing program “goal-
oriented and what we need now.” Like many other cities around Norway, Oslo has
seen its infection numbers rise sharply again in recent weeks. The city wants to avoid
new shutdowns, though, along with use of other stricter measures like the Corona
certi�cates now allowed by the state government.

***Tromsø became the �rst Norwegian city to plan “Corona certi�cates,” after the
Norwegian government gave them the authority to do so on Friday. The certi�cates
document their holders’ proof of vaccination and are meant to prevent the spread of
Corona infection in public places. Tromsø o�cials applauded the government’s
decision and said the certi�cates can be required from Tuesday (Nov 16) in order to
gain entry to bars, cinemas, theaters or other public gathering places in the northern
city. It’s been reeling from a major spike in Corona infection over the past few weeks
and city o�cials had begun to crack down with new Corona restrictions of their own,
like preventing people from mingling around bars and demanding table service and
face masks. They much prefer being able to use Corona certi�cates in order to
prevent any new forced shutdowns or business disruption. Both local and state

authorities now agree that the certi�cates can help those vaccinated to continue to
live more “normally,” and also encourage people who have declined vaccination offers
to change their minds.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre rolled out plans for Corona certi�cate use in
Norway at a press conference Friday (Nov 12), noting that his government “had
received a clear message” that communities around Norway “need help in handling
infection.” They’ll now be able to demand proof of vaccinations locally. In Trondheim,
where infection levels have also been high, Mayor Rita Ottervik said the certi�cates
won’t be demanded. That’s because most of Trondheim’s Corona cases are occurring
among school children and their parents. Oslo o�cials are also hesitant to require
the certi�cates, which have been criticized by some because they can limit individual
freedom.

***Even though Norway recorded its highest daily number of new Corona cases ever
on Wednesday (Nov 10), Norway’s new government remained unwilling to reimpose
any new national Corona containment measures. That seemed to put Prime Minister
Jonas Gahr Støre at odds with the state health directorate , after Støre claimed that
“national measures are not the answer.” Støre also seemed to take over for Health
Minister Ingvild Kjerkøl when he announced Wednesday afternoon that his
government is “closely evaluating the Corona situation together with health
authorities and will draw the conclusions that are necessary.” At the same time,
though, he said that national measures are not in the picture, contradicting Dr Bjørn
Guldvog of the state health directorate who said on the Tuesday that he thinks new
restrictions will be necessary (see below).

Støre stressed that Norwegians are now “very well-vaccinated,” despite new reports
that there are now more fully vaccinated Corona patients in the hospital than there
are Corona patients who were not vaccinated. Instead of imposing new national
infection measures, Støre thinks it will be su�cient if everyone feeling ill simply stays
home, if those who aren’t vaccinated become so quickly, and if everyone over age 65
gets a third shot. Several regions around Norway including Trondheim and Bergen,
meanwhile, are reimposing local Corona containment measures including use of face
masks in public and only allowing table serving at bars and restaurants.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Store changed his mind two days later and rolled out new national
measures that also give local authorities more authority to control the virus as they
see �t.)

***New national Corona containment recommendations are on the way, after

Norway’s state Health Director Dr Bjørn Guldvog said he would recommend that the
government reimpose some restrictions. The reason: Rising infection levels and

pressure on the national health care system. “We see now that the curves are
heading upward at full speed,” Guldvog told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Tuesday
(Nov 9) after another rash of unwelcome statistics. “That will affect planned
operations at the hospitals and hurt many other patients. It’s therefore necessary to
go through all measures available and see what we can do.” Guldvog said he won’t be
recommending any shutdown but rather measures that would hinder so many new
cases of the Corona virus. That can include random Corona testing at border
crossings including Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen, and programs to make sure
health care personnel who are not vaccinated won’t have any contact with patients.

***Norway’s state health directorate has reported the highest number of Corona
patients admitted to hospital since last April. The admissions re�ect an ongoing
increase in new cases of the Corona virus despite Norway’s high vaccination levels,
and a new wave of infection this winter is deemed “probable.” A total of 198 patients
were in hospital as of Monday (November 8), 25 more than the number just before
the weekend. The majority (113) are hospitalized in southeastern Norway (including
Oslo), while admissions stood at 32 in Northern Norway, 29 in the western district of
the state health care system and 24 in the central district (Helse Midt-Norge). State
o�cials reported that 49 patients are receiving intensive care and 21 are on
respirators. “We are following the situation all the time to gauge the burden on
hospitals,” Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of public health institute FHI, told news
bureau NTB. Norway’s national doctors’ association (Legeforeningen) is alarmed,
telling newspaper Aftenposten that “we’re experiencing Corona fatigue. Hospitals are
full and the employees are exhausted,” and that’s before �u season gets underway.

***Health care workers in Norway will now also be offered a third dose of the Corona
vaccine if they have direct contact with patients. Calls for a third dose have gone out
for months, but the government only authoritized third doses last week for those age
65 and over. Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol followed up just before the weekend by
offering third doses for health care workers no matter how old they are. She also
continued to insist, however, that the government had no plans for any new national
Corona-related restrictions, despite a sharp rise in infection levels and
hospitalizations in recent weeks.

***Norway is now launching programs for a third dose of Corona vaccine at what’s
been described as “full force.” Norwegians with weak immune systems and those
over age 65 are �rst in line to get a booster shot. Several hundred thousand doses of
Corona vaccine are being sent out to cities and townships around Norway this
week. A total of 96,385 Norwegians had already received a third dose as of October
31, but now the booster shot program will begin in earnest. “Most of the country’s
local communities are soon �nished with vaccinating all elderly against in�uensa,” Dr
Preven Aavitsland of public health institute FHI told newspaper Aftenposten on

Wednesday. “Now they can use their resources on Corona vaccinations again.” He
said FHI was recommending a third dose for those over 65, “so they’ll have the best
protection possible through the winter.” He said there’s low risk of becoming seriously
ill with the Corona virus for everyone under 65 who already have received two shots.
The booster shot program comes just as Norway is in the midst of another major
increase in Corona infection.

***Health authorities in Trondheim are now recommending use of face masks after
recording the highest number of new Corona virus cases in a single day since the
pandemic began. Health authorities in Bodø, meanwhile, want the government to
reimpose national restrictions because of an ongoing rise in Corona
infection. Trondheim o�cials acted on their own Tuesday, as they’re allowed to do on
a regional basis, after con�rming 172 new Corona cases just among public testing.
That’s more than triple the number recorded on Monday, when 46 tested positive, and
it was expected to keep rising. The face mask recommendation especially applies on
board public transport, Dr Tove Røsstad, Trondheim’s chief medical o�cer, told state
broadcaster NRK on Tuesday. She’s also recommending social distancing in public.

Infection levels continue to rise nationally as well, mostly in Tromsø, other cities in
Northern Norway and in Oslo and its surrounding county, Viken. In the northern city of
Bodø, chief medical o�cer Dr Tor Claudi is concerned enough by the rise in infection
that “there’s reason to be worried about the upcoming Christmas holidays.” He thinks
national Corona containment measures should be reimposed if the rising infection
trend continues. A total of 6,358 new cases of the virus have been registered in the
past seven days, even though nearly 90 percent of Norway’s adult population is fully
vaccinated.

***Corona complications continue to disrupt international trade and shipments to

and from Norway. Ongoing restrictions in some areas, along with  a sudden demand
for goods after restrictions have been eased in other areas, has thrown the
international trade system “out of balance,” according to Norwegians economists at
national employer organizations NHO and Virke. Higher prices for raw materials and
transport, delayed deliveries and predicted hikes in prices for food and many other
items are causing disruptions, especially in deliveries of Christmas merchandise. “It’s
probably all related to Corona, in one way or another,” Øystein Dørum, chief economist
at NHO, told newspaper Dagsavisen.

***At least a dozen Corona experts became infected themselves after a night out on
the town last weekend. Colleagues working in the microbiology department of the
Oslo University Hospital (OUS) are now suffering the consequences of going out for a
Friday beer in a crowded Oslo bar on October 22. Newspaper Aftenposten reported
on Saturday that those infected last weekend include Norwegian experts who

analyze, can con�rm cases of Corona infection and conduct research on viruses,
bacteria and parasites. During the pandemic, they’ve analyzed thousands of Corona
tests in the university’s pandemic laboratory, where efforts are made to understand
and contain the Corona virus. Several working there now regret heading out to a bar
together during their time off on Friday evening October 22. The bar was not
identi�ed but it’s been traced as the source of “sars-cov-2 infection” for 12 members
of the group who’ve since tested positive, con�rmed the leader of their department,
Fredrik Müller, to Aftenposten. He claims they all followed current anti-infection
recommendations issued by state public health institute FHI, “both at the bar and
afterwards.” The department has units at both Ullevål University Hospital and the
National Hospital (Rikshospitalet) i Oslo. Lab management doesn’t think infection
was brought into the lab, according to Müller: “We have followed infection prevention
routines at OUS and have no reason to believe that infection spread further in the
department. Our operations are unaffected.”

***Corona infection levels continued to rise over the weekend, with fully 6,507 new
cases reported nationwide in the seven days ending on Sunday. Oslo o�cials
reported a 66 percent increase in con�rmed Corona cases last week, compared to
the week before. Robert Steen, the city government leader i charge of health care
issues, told newspaper Aftenposten that most of the cases involve people who have
not accepted the city’s offer of free vaccinations or are children under age 12 who are
not yet being vaccinated. Most of the youngsters don’t become seriously ill, but
adults can. The city continues to urge vaccinations and is preparing to offer a third
booster shot, but Steen said there are no plans to reimpose more Corona restrictions
because more than 86 percent of all Norwegain adults are now fully vaccinated.

***A new Delta variant of the Corona virus has been discovered in Tromsø, the
Northern Norwegian city that’s suddenly registering the highest numbers of new
Corona cases in the country. Local o�cials are urging residents to limit their social
contact. Norway has been emerging from the Corona crisis and the government
decided against reimposing any national measures on Thursday. At the same time,
however, several regions around the country are seeing new spikes in Covid-19
infection. Infection is highest in the northern county of Troms og Finnmark, Oslo and
Viken, the large county that surrounds Oslo.

The situation in Tromsø took a turn for the worse when local o�cials discovered that
a new variant known as AY.4.3 is circulating in the city, right when it was hosting an
international meeting of the Barents Council. It was attended on Monday and
Tuesday by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov among other foreign
guests. “We’ve registered this virus variant, but we know very little about what it will
mean for the spread of infection in Tromsø,” Dr Trond Brattland, the local chief
medical o�cer, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). He said it had little impact on

how the city is handling the current outbreak, which includes asking local residents to
limit social contact, use home o�ces more often, stay at a distance from others and
stay home if they’re feeling ill. He also urged everyone to get vaccinated if they aren’t
already.

***Home o�ces are still popular among both workers and employers in Norway,
even after the government stopped recommending their use. Now, reports state
broadcaster NRK, most large companies including Telenor, Equinor, DNB and media
�rm Schibsted are using “hybrid o�ces” that combine a few days in the main o�ce
with a few at home. A survey conducted by Telenor found that workers want to
continue to be able to work two days a week from home or another location, often a
hytte (holiday home). A national survey conducted by Oslo Metropolitan University
showed the same trend. The biggest concern, however, was that the distinction
between home life and o�ce life can be blurred: Many employees found that they’re
spending more time on the job from home than when o�ce time was regulated by
clearer start- and stop times.

***National Corona containment measures may need to be reimposed, Norway’s new

health minister, Ingvild Kjerkol, warned in a press release on Wednesday. She backed
down on Thursday, but infection is now rising in several regions around the country
and Kjerkol reminded Norwegians once again that the pandemic is not over. “If there’s
a large increase in infection spreading locally or nationally that puts a burden on the
health care system, local governments must be prepared to limit the spread through
local measures,” Kjerkol stated, adding that it also may be necessary to have another
round of national measures, such as mandatory use of face masks on public
transport. State health authorities have earlier stated that should not be necessary
(see below), because so many Norwegians are fully vaccinated (86.8
percent). Infection has spread the most in Northern Norway, she noted, “and now we
see that infection numbers are rising several places.” Another 1,144 new con�rmed
cases of Corona were registered in Norway in the 24-hour period from midnight
Monday to midnight Tuesday, almost double the number on Tuesday last
week. Tromsø continues to experience relatively high infection rates, with 16 people
now admitted to the reopened Corona ward at the University Hospital in Northern
Norway (UNN).

***Lots of Norwegians are suddenly coughing again, and health authorities warn that
it may not just be seasonal bugs. They’re urging everyone with any sign of respiratory
infection or illness to take a Corona test and stay home. It’s di�cult, they argue, to
differentiate between a normal cold or other respiratory ailments that could be
Covid-19, even among those who’ve been vaccinated. Health care o�cials are also
urging everyone to get �u shots, especially those over age 65. Since there was little
exposure to �u last winter because of all the Corona containment measures, they

note, it can hit harder this year.

***An ongoing rise in infection levels has spread to Trondheim, where around 250
new cases have been con�rmed within the past week. The city’s chief medical o�cer
is asking residents to keep following infection prevention measures. There’s also
been a steady rise in new Covid-19 infection among people in Trondheim who have
been fully vaccinated. Few are seriously ill, but Dr Tove Røsstad said infection
prevention measures must be taken seriously. “We have seen a marked increase in
(Covid-19) cases the past week,” she wrote in a press release. Ten people have had to
be hospitalized and local authorities are considering reimposing some Corona
containment measures, such as face mask requirements in public once again.

There were also 1,115 new cases con�rmed in Oslo during the past week, with the
285 registered from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday fully 166 more than during
the same 24-hour period last week. Tromsø in Northern Norway continues to have the
highest number of hosptalizations. Reinstatement of local Corona restrictions is
under consideration.

***Travel restrictions to the US will change as of November 8, reports the US

Embassy in Oslo. Vaccinated US citizens must still provide a negative Covid-19 test
taken within three calendar days of traveling, however, or documentation of recovery
in the past 90 days. “All travelers to the US by air must attest to both their vaccination
and testing situation,” the embassy wrote. It suggests visiting the US Embassy Oslo’s
Covid-19 information page (external link to the embassy’s website) for more
information on current entry and exit requirements and quarantine regulations in the
US. The US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, continue to issue
an advisory against travel to Norway, claiming a “very high level of Covid-19 in the
country.” There also continue to be restrictions in place affecting US citizen entry into
Norway.

***The number of Norwegians testing positive for the Corona virus passed the
200,000 mark during the weekend. The numbers also keep rising, after recent weeks
of decline, but health authorities insist Norway is not on its way into a �fth wave of
infection. Nor are there plans for any general shutdowns again. “With 90 percent of all
adults vaccinated, we’re beyond the time for strict national (Corona containment)
measures,” Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate told newspaper
Aftenposten. “There’s little point in fully vaccinated people who are well-protected
living any differently, even though infection is rising among those not
vaccinated.” There have been cases of fully vaccinated Norwegians getting infected,
but nearly all have underlying medical conditions with reduced immune systems and
are thus more prone to infection, or are elderly and in line for a third booster shot. It’s
up to local municipalities, however, to decide what’s best in their areas and they have

the power to impose their own restrictions. Most of the new Corona cases continue
to be found in Northern Norway (see below). Many involve those who have refused
vaccination.

***Border controls may be reinstated in Northern Norway if Corona infection levels

continue to rise in the region. Outbreaks in the Tromsø area began last week and
local authorities fear seasonal workers from abroad who aren’t vaccinated will add to
the problem. Infection levels are back up in the red danger zone in the Troms og
Finnmark and Nordland counties in Northern Norway and in Viken, which surrounds
Oslo. Virus testing became voluntary when border crossings to Sweden and Finland
reopened. Local o�cials are concerned that hardly anyone stops for testing,
including seasonal workers arriving from the Baltic countries, where infection levels
are also high.

“The only way to make sure people are arriving Corona-free is to place police back
at the border crossings again,” Willy Ørnebakk, local administrator of Storfjord in
Troms, where there’s a border crossing from Finland, told state broadcaster NRK on
Friday. Line Vold of public health institute FHI con�rmed that the number of Corona
cases is rising in Northern Norway, with the university hospital in Tromsø (UNN) now
caring for more Corona patients than at any other time during the pandemic.

***Norway’s new government plans to extend Corona relief measures at the

workplace through the end of the year. The earlier Conservatives-led government had
planned to end them from October 1. They pointed to how the economy is rebounding
and some businesses are actually having trouble �nding enough workers. That’s
because many Norwegians can continue to collect bene�ts as they wait and hope to
return to the jobs from which they were laid off. New Labour Minister Hadia Tajik of
the Labour Party however, maintains that “the crisis measures will continue as long
as the crisis continues.” Tajik proposes extending jobless bene�ts including sick pay
through the end of the year. She also wants employers to continue to be exempted
from salary obligations through December 31. The proposals need a majority in
Parliament, which is likely. Even though the new government lacks a majority, there’s
still a majority on the left-center side of Norwegian politics.

***Northern Norway’s biggest hospital, the university hospital UNN in Tromsø, was
back on “yellow alert” Monday, after an ongoing increase in its number of new
Corona-related admissions. The rise in infection began earlier last week. It means
that UNN was preparing for more cases and what they called “a higher level of
pandemic operations.” Hospital o�cials are reopening their specially equipped
Corona ward and considering whether to boost sta�ng. A total of 15 patients were
admitted as of Sunday evening, 14 in Tromsø and one at the hospital in Narvik that’s
attached to UNN. It was the highest level of admissions since the pandemic began

last year.

***Norwegian airports joined local airlines in dropping requirements for use of face
masks. As of Monday (Oct 18), face masks will no longer be mandatory at the airport,
on either domestic routes within Norway or on �ights within Scandinavia. “We think
the time (to drop face masks) is right now, based on the infection situation in the
country,” John Eckhoff, communications chief for SAS in Norway, told TV2. Other
airlines based in Norway, including Norwegian Air, Widerøe and Flyr, quickly followed
suit. They all agreed it was “natural” to follow Norway’s own Corona containment
measures, which have been greatly relaxed in recent weeks. Face masks are no
longer mandatory, for example, on public transportation, in restaurants or most other
public gathering places. “We look forward to be able to greet passengers once again
with a big smile,” Silje Brandvoll of Widerøe told state broadcaster NRK. The airlines
may also be able to welcome back passengers who stopped �ying because they
didn’t want to have to wear a face mask for hours on end.

Avinor, the state agency that runs Norway’s airports, followed up by noting in its
updated Corona information heading into the weekend that “there are no national
demands for use of face masks at the airports.” Avinor warned, however that other
international airlines serving Norway still require face masks on board (sometimes
medically approved face masks instead of those made of cloth) as do many airports
abroad. Passengers were advised to con�rm latest Corona requirements with
whatever airline they’re using.

***A Corona-related baby boom in Norway is another indication of how Norwegians

often behave differently from people in other countries. A sharp rise in births this year
contrasts with declines elsewhere, and con�rms how Norwegians were con�dent
their leaders would get them through the Corona crisis. Birth rates often fall during
crises, and they did in both the US and many European countries. In Norway, however,
a decade of annual declines in births suddenly reversed during the Corona crisis: The
country marked its �rst increase during the �rst quarter of 2021 (nine months after
Norway’s shutdown began on March 12, 2020). Around 600 more babies were also
born during the second quarter of this year than during the second quarter of last
year, reports state statistics bureau SSB.

“This was an unexpected consequence of the Corona crisis that we haven’t seen in
other countries,” Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of public health institute FHI, told
newspaper Aftenposten on Wednesday. “On the contrary, births have fallen in many,
perhaps because uncertainty about the future has been so high. People wondered
whether they’d survive, or keep their jobs.” In Norway, however, lots of baby-making
clearly began during the shutdown of 2020. “That indicates a formidable degree of
con�dence that things would go well in Norway,” Stoltenberg said. FHI has recently

released a major report on how Norway fared during the Corona crisis (see below)
that also shows how there were fewer heart attacks along with a decline in most
other infectious disease.

***A new study of the Corona crisis in Norway con�rms that the country’s immigrant
population was hardest hit by the pandemic. The study by public health institute FHI
notes that Norwegian residents born abroad accounted for 40 percent of all
hospitalizations between March 2020 and February 2021. FHI reported this week that
infection levels were high in areas that are home to many immigrants. They tended to
view travel abroad as more necessary than the general population, often to help care
for ill family members or to attend funerals, and many traveled to countries with high
infection levels. FHI noted that many immigrants also live in Oslo and the surrounding
county of Viken, where infection rates in general were the highest in the country. The
virus was also initially imported to Norge largely by middle-aged Norwegian men
who’d been on skiing holidays in the Alps. It spread quickly and eventually to the
immigrant community. FHI reported that fully 61 percent of all Covid-19 infection in
Norway was in Oslo and Viken.

***Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of Norway’s public health institute FHI, has been
front and center during the entire Corona crisis. Now, as the crisis eases, she’s urging
all countries and governments to be much better prepared for the next
pandemic. Norway rode out the crisis better than most, FHI reported on Monday, with
far fewer deaths and just 6 percent of the adult population falling ill, a bit leess than
in a normal �u season. Stoltenberg thinks it’s most important, however, to recognize
the danger of a pandemic earlier, and act quickly at an earlier point in time than under
the Corona pandemic. It’s believed to have posed a threat in China in late 2019, but it
wasn’t until March 2020 that Norway and most other governments in Europe started
closing borders and shutting down most of society.

“Part of the problem is that when it hasn’t hit wealthy countries, we pay less attention
to it, and to how important it is to invest in what needs to be done,” Stoltenberg told
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Monday. She urges good disease surveillance
systems, international cooperation and the ability to develop vaccines quickly.

***State medical authorities have received a total of 35,683 reports of suspicious

side-effects from Corona vaccines. That’s a tiny portion of the 7.8 million
vaccinations in Norway so far, but all reports are being investigated. News bureau
NTB reported that 3,129 of the reports have been classi�ed as “serious” after 19,206
cases were studied and 16,077 of them were deemed as not being serious. Children
and youth have only recently begun to be vaccinated and they’re being watched the
most closely for any sign of adverse effects. Around 300,000 Norwegians aged 12 to
17 have been vaccinated so far. Side-effects include some children fainting from the

injection itself, but that’s not generally viewed as serious. Other side-effects coming
later include �u-like symptoms, fatigue and soreness around the shot, similar to
those reported by adults. There’s been concern over a few cases of heart
in�ammation in young men (see below), which is why they’re no longer being offered
the Moderna vaccine.

***Norwegian health authorities now recommend the P�zer vaccine for men under
age 30. The recommendation comes after some young men developed heart
in�ammation (myokarditt) after taking the Moderna vaccine. “We’re evaluating the
situation constantly,” Dr Geir Bukholm of the public health institute FHI told news
bureau NTB, “but we think this is still a seldom side-effect of both vaccines. Moderna
is a very effective vaccine to prevent infection and serious illness, but the risk of this
in�ammation in the heart muscle is somewhat higher.” Health authorities in Sweden
have now stopped vaccinating men under 30 with the Moderna vaccine, and Denmark
is also limiting its use. Norwegian o�cials aren’t going that far but are offering a clear
recommendation: Men under 30 should choose the P�zer vaccine. All those under
age 18 are also advised against being vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine.

***Norway’s reopening has gone well, health authorities could con�rm in their weekly
report on the status of the Corona pandemic. The numbers of new cases of the virus
continue to fall and those needing hospitalization has stabilized at at level that poses
no threat to overall hospital capacity. “The reopening has gone well,” Line Vold of FHI
told newspaper Dagbladet on Wednesday. “There has neither been an increase in
infection nor in the rate of new hospital admissions.” There were a total of 52 new
hospitalizations last week, compared to 62 the week before and 77 the week before
that. FHI also reported a 39 percent decline in new cases of the Corona virus and its
variants.

***Everyone over 65 in Norway will soon be offered a third dose of a Corona vaccine.
Booster shots will also be offered to those with weakened immune systems or
chronic illness. “The goal with the booster shots is to protect against serious illness,”
Health Minister Bent Høie said at a press conference in Oslo Wednesday afternoon.
The offer will go �rst to those aged 85 and up and those living in nursing homes.
Then those aged 75 to 84, followed by those 65 and up. The booster shots are being
made available on the recommendation of state health authorities. Everyone
vaccinated earlier with the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine will also be offered
booster shots, since the Janssen vaccine has proven less effective than P�zer and
Moderna.

Approval of booster shots for the elderly comes just after reports this week that a
fully-vaccinated elderly resident of Molde had nonetheless become infected by the
Corona virus and died. The elderly resident received home health care services and

was one of at least six others in Molde to be cared for by a health care worker who
was not vaccinated. Three of the patients became so ill that they had to be
hospitalized.

Family members are upset, with one daughter telling state broadcaster NRK  that
“home health care services are supposed to be safe for both those who receive help
and their families. This is very frightening.”

Vaccinations are voluntary in Norway, however, with no one forced to get a shot. “We
have worked hard to avoid this (an employee infecting a client),” Molde’s chief
medical o�cer told NRK. “The infection came from an employee, and that’s extra
unfortunate.” Molde o�cials have required all care givers who aren’t vaccinated to
use extra anti-infection gear. State o�cials now say that employers can also reassign
any such care-givers who work with especially vulnerable patients.

***National employers’ organization NHO wants state o�cials to clarify whether

employers can legally demand that any sick employees test themselves for the
Corona virus. As many return to the workplace after 18 months in home o�ces, it’s
unclear who’s responsible for testing and covering the costs of sick pay. The
Norwegian government has removed most remaining Corona restrictions but still
wants Norwegians to stay home at the �rst sign of any illness, like a sore throat.
Government o�cials also urged Norwegians to test themselves for Covid-19 as
well. Now their bosses are wondering whether they can legally demand or verify that
employees have been tested, and they worry that many employees will have to stay
home instead of reporting for work. Employers typically have to cover the �rst few
days of sick pay before state compensation takes over. Restaurants and hotels,
which have lost many of their workers from before the Corona crisis, are especially
concerned. They’re already short-staffed and fear symptoms of a common cold will
lead to a spike in sick leave, higher costs or even closure.

***Fourteen cases of a new mutation of the Corona virus have been found in
Norway. The mutation may be able to infect people who are immune, prompting state
public health institute FHI to follow developments closely. Newspaper Dagbladet
reported the new mutation Friday, just a week after the Norwegian government lifted
most of its remaining Corona containment measures. All 14 cases of the mutation
have been found in the county of Møre og Romsdal, with several in one of its main
cities, Molde. Line Vold of FHI stressed, however, that the mutation was �rst detected
in July, with a few small outbreaks tied to it. Several fully vaccinated people are
among those who became sick, according to the region’s chief medical o�cer Dr
Cato Innerdal, who said they “became really sick, so that worried us enough that we
wanted to study this further.” Dagbladet reported that FHI has alerted the European
warning system, EWRS, but Vold claimed initial studies of the mutation are not overly

worrisome. “We’re following this along along with many other variants,” she said.

***Despite all the countdowns to last week’s “reopening” of Norway, only 9 percent
of Norwegians want to attend cultural events without any social distancing
requirements. Theaters and concert halls, however, have been dropping the one-
meter rule as quickly as they can. Another new survey, this one by research �rm NPU,
indicates that most Norwegians remain skeptical to any quick return to normality.
The low number of those unconcerned about being packed together with others at
concerts, for example, was registered even though fully 92 percent of the 4,216
responding to the survey were fully vaccinated. Its results don’t worry managers of
cinemas, theaters and concert halls. “All our experience indicates there will be lots of
demand for tickets,” Kristian Seltun of the National Theater in Oslo told newspaper
Klassekampen. He added that recent ticket sales have been the best in several
years. Several of Norway’s state-run theaters remain closed by an ongoing strike
among theater workers. Cinema operators, meanwhile, were expecting large turnouts
this weekend, not least because of the long-delayed release of the new James Bond
�lm, some of which was shot on location in Norway.

***US citizens were being advised this week against traveling to Norway, after it was
de�ned by US o�cials as a “high risk” country regarding Corona infection levels.
Newspaper VG reported that the US’ Centers for Disease Control had reclassi�ed
Norway as being at “Level 4,” its highest infection level, adding that “if you must travel
to Norway, be sure you are fully vaccinated.” The advisory came just after Norway’s
relatively strict government o�cials �nally determined that infection rates were low
enough to scrap most remaining Corona containment measures. Norwegian o�cials
have also been praised for keeping Norway’s deaths from Corona (861) much lower
than that of other countries, not least the US.

***A clear majority still favours social distancing in Norway, even after national
restrictions were removed. A new survey shows 60 percent are keen to limit hand-
shaking, while even more (roughly 77 percent) don’t want to get too close to others in
public places. The survey, conducted by research �rm Norstat for Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK), seems to defy the public displays of togetherness on Saturday
evening, when thousands of people all over the country gathered to celebrate (see
below) in bars, restaurants, at sporting events and on the streets. National
restrictions were lifted as of 4pm, and lots of signs promoting social distancing and
face masks were quickly pulled down and even ripped up.

The survey results con�rm that far from all want to return to normal everyday life. “I
think that’s completly natural,” Health Minister Bent Høie told NRK. “We just moved
away from the one-meter rule but the habit can remain.” Most people have now
dropped face masks, however, with 28 percent saying they won’t use them at all any

more and 40 percent responding that they will only use face masks to a small degree.
Women tended to be more restrictive than men in the survey, even as infection levels
continue to decline.

***The Norwegian government’s decision to reopen Norway by dropping most

remaining Corona containment measures may send infection levels back up again. Dr
Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate expects more young people will get
sick. “The reopening will most certainly lead to some more Corona cases,” Nakstad
told news bureau NTB, “but it’s not certain we’ll see it clearly in the statistics because
most are vaccinated and because self-testing isn’t registered much.” More than 90
percent of Norway’s adult population is now vaccinated, which is the main reason
Prime Minister Erna Solberg and her government opted to remove most of the
remaining national restrictions from 4pm on Saturday. That set off excessive partying
all over the country (see below). State health o�cials are most worried about a rise in
Corona infection this autumn among those who have not been vaccinated for various
reasons. Nakstad and his colleagues are also worried about �u season this year.

***There literally was dancing in the streets around Norway when national Corona
restrictions were �nally lifted during the weekend, 18 months after the Corona crisis
began. Police had a busy night on Saturday, however, after celebrations degenerated
into street brawls among drunken Norwegians. Culture Minister Abid Raja was
among those out celebrating with his wife at Kulturhuset in Oslo Saturday night. “This
is just fantastic,” Raja told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). “Norway has waited for
this for 18 months. We’re ready to dance and get both cultural events and everyday
life back. I encourage everyone to head back to the theaters, cinemas and to
concerts.”

Too many arguably headed back to bars, late-night partying and violence. Police in
Oslo alone registered around 50 street �ghts and other instances of disturbing the
peace late Saturday night. Thousands lined up outside bars and nightclubs from Oslo
in the south to Tromsø in the north. Police and the bars themselves were prepared for
chaos and exaggerated partying. “There were lots of people out on the town from
Saturday afternoon and through the night,” Rune Hekkelstrand of the Oslo Police
District told NRK.  Police had to deal with 190 calls for help in Oslo alone, there were
street brawls in Tønsberg, at least a dozen arrests in Agder and scores of calls for
police help in Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and other towns including Harstad. “It
was like New Year’s Eve or the night before the 17th of May (Constitution Day),”
Tatjana Knappen of the Vest Police district in Bergen told NRK.

***Norwegian health authorities recommended further easing of remaining Corona-

related restrictions and a general reopening of the country from October 1st. That
happened a week earlier, over the weekend, speci�cally from Saturday afternoon at

4pm. The government not only accepted the health authorities’ recommendation for
a return to “normal everyday life” with increased preparedness in case infection levels
rise. Prime Minister Erna Solberg accelerated the reopening by nearly a week. Health
Minister Bent Høie, meanwhile, had already asked municipalities all over Norway to
be prepared for an imminent return to normality as the Corona crisis winds down.
State health authorities had also con�rmed that statistics were going in the right
direction. Infection levels and hospitalizations continue to decline, the fourth wave of
the pandemic in Norway is subsiding and more than 80 percent of the adult
population is now fully vaccinated. “It’s looking very positive,” Line Vold of the public
health institute FHI told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. “We’re in a good phase.”

***In another sign of Norway’s reopening after the Corona crisis, the government
has approved use of vaccination certi�cates from four more countries: Albania, the
Færoe Islands, Morocco and Panama, all of which have been linked to the EU
certi�cate system. That means Norway will accept such certi�cates as well. It also
means residents of the four countries who are fully vaccinated with an approved
vaccine and have a valid certi�cate can travel to Norway and avoid quarantine.
Certi�cates from Andorra, Israel and Monaco have also been approved by the EU and
will be accepted by Norway as soon as they’re linked to the EU’s system.

***Despite presenting a united front to the public, Norwegian health authorities have
come in con�ict with one another during the Corona crisis. A new book by Dr Camilla
Stoltenberg, head of the public health institute FHI, has revealed major
disagreements over how infection could spread among children. Stoltenberg writes
that the disagreements forced a meeting to clear the air between the health
professionals at FHI (Folkehelseinstitutt) and Dr Espen Nakstad, the assistant state
health director who became a public hero for his clear explanations and handling of
Corona issues. Nakstad believes children can play a bigger role in the spread of
infection, however, than FHI o�cials did.

FHI’s health experts were at �rst relieved that Nakstad took on such a high-pro�le
role in addressing concerns about the pandemic. They later questioned that role,
however, and his position in formulating and promoting Corona containment
measures. It was always the government that made �nal decisions, but they had to
be based on agreed recommendations of health experts. Instead there were some
“hefty arguments” between Nakstad and Dr Are Stuvitz Berg of FHI, reports state
broadcaster NRK. The various health o�cials involved ended up having “a better
understanding” of each other’s positions and Stoltenberg insists she’s on good terms
with Nakstad. Norway has, in the end, been among the most successful in dealing
with the Corona crisis, with a relatively low death rate and high vaccination rate.

***The US will �nally allow non-citizens to enter the country from early November if

they’re fully vaccinated against Covid-19. That’s good news for airlines like SAS,
which has long had a daily �ight from Oslo to Newark and is keen to �ll more
seats. There have been exceptions for Norwegian diplomats, journalists and those
with close family in the US. Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Foreign Minister Ine
Eriksen Søreide are among Norwegians in New York this week, for example, to take
part in the annual opening of the United Nations. Most everyone else has been
unwelcome, just like Norway has kept out travelers from outside the European area.
Norwegians and many others will now �nally be allowed entry to the US without
quarantine requirements but with proof of a negative Corona test taken within three
days of traveling. Norway will likely be expected to follow suit, and allow Americans
entry to Norway from November as well, if not before.

***Norwegian Health Minister Bent Høie now seems more worried about the coming
�u season than he is about the Corona virus. He asked municipalities to start offering
�u shots, especially for those at high risk, from early October. Høie con�rmed that
Corona infection numbers continue to decline, while the numbers of those vaccinated
now account for 90 percent of the population. “That means we’re nearing normal
everyday life again with high preparedness,” he said, adding, however, that the
government has still not set any date for a full reopening of the country.

Norway’s one-meter social distancing rule, limits on the size of public gatherings and
restrictions on travel into Norway will be lifted when a reopening occurs. Until then
they’ll remain in place, and even after they’re lifted, Norwegians will still be ordered
into isolation if they test positive for Covid-19. Testing and quarantine rules will also
remain in place when travelers from abroad enter the country. Høie repeated
warnings, meanwhile, that this year’s �u season will be tougher. He urged everyone to
consider �u shots, especially all those over age 65 and in high-risk groups.

***Infection levels continue to fall in Norway, with the 311 new cases reported on
Thursday in Oslo, for example, down by more than half from the same day last week.
The average number of cases emerging daily over the past two weeks has also fallen,
according to state health o�cials. The daily average in Oslo, which still reports the
most cases, was 406, down from 680 on August 30. Infection is highest in the
eastern district of Grorud, which has registered 1,187 cases per 100,000 residents in
the last two weeks.

***Norway now appears to have come through its fourth wave of Corona infection,
with the numbers of new con�rmed cases declining rapidly every day. “This is now
looking really good,” Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, director of the public health institute FHI,
told news bureau NTB on Monday (Sept 13). The wave is now believed to have
crested on September 6, when health authorities registered an all-time daily high of
1,780 new cases of the Corona virus. Most all of those infected were young, as the

delta strain of the virus continued to spread through recently reopened schools. On
Sunday (Sept 12), “only” 653 new cases were registered, 412 fewer than those
registered on the same day a week earlier. There’s been a daily average of 1,268 new
cases registered over the past week, down from 1,460 the week before. New cases
have fallen even day now since late last week.

“We expect this decline to continue,” said Dr Preben Aavitsland of FHI. He thinks the
mass testing now going on, especially in the schools, is the most important reason
for the decline. Vaccination programs are also continuing, now among teenagers,
leading to declines in the spread of infection. Hospitalization numbers have risen, but
Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate thinks they will stabilize within the
next week.

***Around 200,000 Norwegians will be offered a third dose of Corona vaccine, the
state public health institute FHI con�rmed last week. Patients who’ve had organ- or
bone marrow transplants will be among the �rst to get a booster shot. Dr Preben
Aavitsland of FHI told newspaper Aftenposten on Friday that he didn’t think any local
municipalities have started offering a third vaccination to those deemed most in need
of extra protection against the Corona virus. He thinks local health care o�cials need
more help from fastleger (primary care physicians) to determine which patients are
most vulnerable. Norway has enough vaccine to offer third shots, despite having
already fully vaccinated more than 60 percent of the adult population. Others set to
be offered the booster shots also include those with immunity de�ciencies, cancer
patients undergoing treatment that can weaken their immune systems, those needing
dialysis and those with advanced or untreated HIV infection.

Health o�cials in Bergen, meanwhile, are suddenly facing some new resistance
from young people who don’t want to take the Moderna vaccine for fear it has
stronger side-effects than the P�zer vaccine. “The resistance is irrational,” Dr Kjell
Haug, deputy chief medical o�cer in Bergen, told state broadcaster NRK. Norway
otherwise has had extremely high vaccine acceptance rates, which is likely to allow
removal of the last Corona-related restrictions later this fall.

***Norway is showing up as much more “red” on the EU’s map of countries within
the European Economic Area (EEA/EØS). That re�ects the recent sharp rise in
infection nationwide, even as the numbers of new cases are starting to decline
again. The greater Oslo metropolitan area, Viken County and much of the southern
and western coasts of Norway are all red now. That indicates a cumulative 14-day
Covid-19 case noti�cation rate of between 200 and 500. The rest of Norway is shown
as orange, also indicating a fairly high rate of infection. Trøndelag o�cials said they
understood the dubious distinction, “because we’ve had a major outbreak here,” Dr
Tove Røsstad, chief medical o�cer in Trondheim, told state broadcaster NRK on

Thursday. The delta strain of the Covid virus continues to spread in Norway but at a
slightly lower rate this week.

***Norway hasn’t had many anti-vaccine demonstrations, but one suddenly played
out at a high school in Bærum, just west of Oslo, on Monday. A lone member of the
radical right-wing party Alliansen showed up in the schoolyard and started offering
students NOK 500 (USD 58) each if they’d refuse to be vaccinated. Hans Jørgen
Lysglimt Johansen, leader of the small party, turned up at the Valler high school in
Bærum wearing an orange jacket and carrying a sign reading “Stop the death
vaccine.” He appeared at the school unannounced just as it was holding a political
debate ahead of Monday’s parliamentary election. Leaders of other parties eligible
for representation in Parliament had been invited to the event but not Alliansen, which
is too small to qualify for any seats in Norway’s national assembly. State broadcaster
NRK noted that it only won 0.1 percent of the vote in Bærum in the last election.

After Johansen refused a request from the school’s principal Berit Hetland to leave
the school grounds, she called the police. Hetland called Johansen’s overt practice of
trying to buy support from students “unacceptable.” He left before police arrived but
the school �led a complaint anyway. Students, meanwhile, reported that Johansen
had waved 500-kroner notes, only to see a few accepted by students who already
were fully vaccinated. “It was all really stupid, unprofessional and idotic,” one student
told NRK. Another said that Johansen also tried to dole out caps reading “USA” and
“Make America great again,” one of which was later burned. Norway continues to
have one of the highest vaccine acceptance rates in the world and the lowest number
of deaths tied to the Corona virus. Around 90 percent of all adults have been
vaccinated with at least their �rst shot.

***Corona infection continued to rise over the weekend, but at a slightly lower rate
than the week before. Hopes were rising that Norway’s fourth wave of infection may
be �nally cresting. Health authorities reported 365 new con�rmed cases of the
Corona virus on Sunday in Oslo, for example, where mass testing continues. The
average over the past two weeks has been 374 new cases every day. Most of those
testing positive continue to be Norwegians under the age of 18 who haven’t been
vaccinated yet. A professor at the University of Oslo, Nils Christian Stenseth, told
news bureau NTB early Monday that he thinks school vacation periods may steer the
course of the virus within a few years. “It can �rst and foremost infect children, with
infection rising and falling when schools and day care centers are open,” Stenseth
told NTB. Norway has just started offering vaccine to children, but only from age 12
and up.

***The Norwegian government is dropping the fourth step of its national reopening
program as the pandemic continues. At the same time, it’s easing entry requirements

for close family members and partners from outside the EU. Remaining Corona-
related restrictions will otherwise be eased when health authorities think it’s safe to
do so, and in the meantime, children aged 12 to 15 will be offered vaccine. Prime
Minister Erna Solberg announced the changes at yet another press conference on
Thursday (Sept 2), after more than a week of steadily rising infection rates since
schools reopened with few restrictions in mid-August. Health authorities have
admitted that they miscalculated the risk of how quickly Corona virus infection would
spread among children and teens.

“Further reopening risks more infection,” Solberg said. “We don’t want to take that
risk when we’re so close to the time when all adults will have received an offer to be
fully vaccinated.” Both she and the head of the state public health institute, Dr Camilla
Stoltenberg, stressed that the majority of those now hospitalized with Corona had not
been vaccinated.

When enough are vaccinated, Norway will then revert (possibly by the end of
September) to what Solberg called a “normal” situation but with heightened
preparedness. Norwegians will be expected to remember hand hygiene, to stay home
at the sign of any illness and to get tested if in doubt, but otherwise can return to
socializing without limits on guests at home. As many as 5,000 people will be
allowed to gather for indoor events (up from 3,000) and  10,000 at outdoor events (up
from 7,000) from midnight Friday.

In another long-awaited development, family members and partners from countries

outside Europe will be able to travel to Norway from September 12. They’ll still be
subject to testing and even hotel quarantine at the border, but children, parents,
grandparents and partners of Norwegians will be allowed entry. Partners will still
need to apply for entry through immigration agency UDI.  (external link to UDI’s
website).

Vaccine will also be made available to children aged 12 to 15 with parental consent.
Only one dose will be recommended. Schools, meanwhile, can decide for themselves
whether to tighten restrictions and move back down to the “yellow” level that limits
assembly but also could remove the need for quarantine. “We think it’s correct that
local outbreaks (of infection) be met with local measures,” Solberg said.

***Despite a sharp rise in Corona infection, the head of Oslo’s city government has
no plans for another shutdown. Raymond Johansen of the Labour Party said on
national radio Wednesday that relatively few are being hit hard by the infection wave
and noted how most all Norwegian adults are now vaccinated. “But that doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t be careful and follow the recommendations and regulations we
still have,” Johansen quickly added when questioned on NRK Wednesday morning.

He said he could understand how teachers and parents are uneasy about the surge
of infection among youngsters after schools reopened in mid-August (see below), but
stressed that hospitalizations also remain relatively low despite nearly a 50 percent
increase this week.

Johansen said he was awaiting new recommendations from state health authorities,
who admitted on Wednesday that they had underestimated the surge of infection
after school started. Nearly 700 new con�rmed cases of the Corona virus were
registered in Oslo as of Wednesday morning. Assistant state health director Dr Espen
Nakstad also admitted that “we don’t have very good control” over the spread of
infection. “At the same time, many more are being vaccinated and that will help a lot.”
Oslo and many other cities and towns around Norway are well underway with
vaccinating 16-17 year olds.

Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of public health institute FHI, also admitted that the
authorities’ infection strategy “has not functioned well enough” after the summer
holidays. “We haven’t wanted infection to spread so much in the schools, and it has
gone faster than we expected,” she told NRK Wednesday morning as more record
numbers of con�rmed cases rolled in.

***Norway posted the highest infection levels of in the Nordic region this week, as
the fourth Corona wave crashes over the country. Infection levels rose 147 percent
last week, over the week before, and they keep climbing. A total of 2,293 new cases
were reported last week, up from 928 the week before. City o�cials noted, however,
that few of those testing positive are falling seriously ill or requiring hospitalization.

***Health Minister Bent Høie announced that fully vaccinated Norwegians with weak
immune systems will soon be offered a third dose. He said the government had
recognized that they run a higher risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19 and
have lower effect of vaccine. Norway estimates around 200,000 people will be
offered a booster shot, including those who’ve undergone organ transplants and
cancer patients who’ve recently undergone cancer treatments.

***Government o�cials have extended Norway’s global travel rules until October 1,
warning against all travel outside Europe unless it’s absolutely necessary. That also
means travelers arriving from outside the EU/EEA area, Switzerland and Great Britain
are still subject to mandatory hotel quarantine at their own expense. The restrictions
continue to disrupt family reunions, business and, most recently, university research
and doctoral programs. Four of Norway’s largest universities complain that the
government’s refusal to allow students working on their doctorate degrees into the
country is both illogical and impedes research. Some companies and organizations
have controversially won exceptions to the tough rules. Commentators have been

criticizing how the government allowed theatrical workers tied to a production of the
musical Mamma Mia! into Norway, but not, for example, the 25-year-old Iranian PhD
candidate Paiman Shafabakhsh. He should have begun his research at the University
of Oslo in February but continues to be denied entry. Foreign students in bachelor-
and master degree programs are allowed into Norway but not doctoral students.

“I can’t understand how they can be a problem,”  Svein Stølen, dean of the University
of Oslo, told newspaper Khrono. “This is not a large group of students and they are
often here for a long time without traveling home.” He worries that the government
only values instruction and not research. Foreign students currently make up 60
percent of those pursuing PhDs within mathematics, science, agriculture and
veterinary medicine, with so-called “internationalization” an important part of
university policy in recent years. Henrik Asheim, the government minister in charge of
research and higher education, said changes or exceptions in travel and entry
restrictions are under constant evaluation. “I hope the situation internationally can
soon allow us to open up a bit more.”

***Huge increases in Corona infection in Trondheim and Oslo have forced the
closure of some schools, sent hundreds into quarantine and prompted authorities to
plead with college-age students to limit their socializing. Trondheim reported 359
new cases on Monday alone, most of it tied to students partying. As few as �ve new
cases had been reported per day before schools reopened last month. By Sunday the
daily average had hit 136 and on Monday all records were broken. O�cials are
responding with mass testing and appeals for a halt to student parties for the next
two to three weeks.

***As Corona infection set another record heading into the weekend, Norwegian
health authorities claim they’re not overly concerned that around a half-million
Norwegians still haven’t received even their �rst vaccination. They �rmly believe that
number will soon decline, especially as 16- and 17-year-olds start getting their
shots. Included among those not vaccinated are adults who have turned down the
offer of vaccine. “If they have questions, we have answers, and if there are
misunderstandings, we can clarify,” Dr Preben Aavitsland of the state public health
institute FHI told state broadcaster NRK on Friday. “But if they don’t want the vaccine,
then that’s their decision.” He noted that Norway’s free Corona vaccination program
“is an offer,” and not mandatory. He stressed, however, that Norway continues to have
among the highest vaccination acceptance rates in the world, along with among the
fewest con�rmed Corona cases and deaths per capita. “Norway has has an
outstanding level of public participation in the vaccination program,” Aavitsland said.
Only around 3 percent of those offered the vaccine have turned it down.

***Norway recorded its highest numbers of new con�rmed cases of the Corona

virus in a single day since the pandemic began. A total of 1,294 new cases were
registered Thursday during the preceding 24-hour period that ended at midnight
Wednesday, followed by an additional 1,415 on Friday. Health authorities said nearly
all the cases involve young Norwegians who have been having lots of social contact
again after schools reopened in mid-August with few Corona-related restrictions.
Infection rates were up 20 percent last week and now the public health institute
con�rms Norway is undergoing its fourth wave of infection. Far fewer of those
infected, however, need to be hospitalized than when the pandemic began. While
hospitalizations are up and the average age of those admitted is declining, most of
the youngsters testing positive don’t get as sick as those testing positive during the
early phase of the pandemic last year.

Authorities are still bracing for another  increase in hospitalizations, though, since
they say it often takes two to three weeks before an infected person becomes so sick
that he or she needs hospital care. “Right now there are quite a few people in their
30s who are hospitalized,” Dr Espen Nakstad, assistant state health director, told
state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. “Eventually many 20- and 30-year-olds will be
fully vaccinated, but we’re vulnerable in the meantime.”

***Despite a new surge in Corona infection, fully 71 percent of Norwegians now want
to move forward with a full reopening of the country in September. A professor
emeritus of epidemiology thinks otherwise, calling on the government to step on the
brakes instead. Dag Steinar Thelle of the University of Oslo told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK) that it’s “sensible” to have a reopening plan, “but what’s di�cult
to understand is that (the government) is setting a date in advance. The plan should
follow developments in the spread of the epidemic.” His comments came after more
than a thousand new cases of the virus were con�rmed on Wednesday, and
hospitalizations nearly doubled since the weekend.

Health Minister Bent Høie insisted that data, not dates, decide in the end, stressing
that the government has already delayed its reopening plans by several weeks. Høie
himself said earlier this month that the government is aiming for a reopening in
September, but now says no �nal decision has been made. Only 23 percent of
Norwegians oppose a reopening in September, according to a survey conducted by
research bureau Norstat for NRK. The remainder were unsure.

***Corona infection levels are soaring again in Norway, hitting their highest point
since March. Record levels were reported in the northwest city of Ålesund, Bergen
remains under tighter restrictions and long lines are forming once again at testing
stations in many cities. There’s been an urgent call for more testing after more than
4,000 new cases were reported in Norway during the past week. Most of those now
infected are young, with 30 school students from Oslo testing positive after having

been on a class camping trip to the mountain Gaustatoppen.

Public health institute FHI reported that Corona infection was also found on board
131 �ights into Norway during the past two weeks. Much of the new spike in Corona
cases nationwide is linked to those returning from summer holidays, especially those
abroad. FHI (Folkehelseinstituttet) reported that passengers arriving in Oslo on 40
domestic �ights tested positive while 85 �ights with infected passengers were from
abroad. There have also been a few cases of passengers testing positive after
traveling on ferries returning from Germany and Denmark.

Hospitalizations have nearly doubled in the past two days but health authorities
aren’t worried about capacity being strained. They continue to point to the high
numbers of Norwegians already vaccinated and thus protected from becoming
seriously ill.

***Norway’s public health institute FHI is intensifying efforts to fully vaccinate

everyone over age 18. It’s worried that those with only their �rst vaccine dose can
become “super spreaders” of the Corona virus without realizing it. FHI
(Folkehelseinstituttet) con�rms that the �rst vaccine dose prevents against serious
illness from the virus but those with just one shot can become infected by Corona
with few or no symptoms. That means they can unwittingly become super-spreaders,
because they live normally and don’t test themselves but can still be contagious. “And
that’s one of the reasons that we now want to intensify our work with getting
everyone vaccinated with two doses,” Dr Geir Bukholm, assistant director of FHI, told
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Monday. He noted that Norway can better tolerate
higher infection levels now than earlier, but he’s concerned more and more young
people who aren’t vaccinated can get sick. Around a million vaccinations are due to
be carried out this week alone, in order to fully vaccinate as many as possible.

***Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra, heir to the throne after her father and
grandfather, has tested positive for the Corona virus. She’s the �rst member of the
Royal Family to become infected with the virus and has been placed in isolation at
the Crown Prince family’s o�cial residence, Skaugum in Asker, west of Oslo. (See the
full story here.)

***Norway cracked down on entry requirements again on Friday, after new statistics
from the EU show much higher levels of Corona virus infection all over Europe.
Travelers arriving from Sweden and Germany, for example, will now be subject to
quarantine if they can’t document being fully vaccinated. The stricter rules stem from
how several more countries and regions within countries are now categorized as
either “red” or “orange,” signifying high levels of infection. The UK remains dark red,
as is Spain, while Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, France and most of Denmark are now red

as well. Neighbouring Sweden had been green but is now back to both red and
orange (see below), as is Norway itself in several regions. Germany’s return to orange
also sparked renewed quarantine restrictions.

There’s also been a spike in the numbers of people, especially teenagers and those
in their 20s, testing positive at border crossings from Sweden. Several didn’t even feel
ill, yet tested positive. Increased testing is also leading to long queues of motorists
waiting to cross the border to Norway. In Bergen, meanwhile, a new spike in infection
prompted city government leaders to extend tougher restrictions for at least another
week. Bergen called on neighbouring municipalities to help in efforts to stem the
spread of the virus, now mostly the Delta strain.

***Even though Norway has the strictest Corona rules in Europe, the country is no
longer “green,” signifying low infection levels on the EU’s map. The western county of
Vestland is now showing “red,” while the rest of the country is orange. That can cause
problems for people traveling abroad from Norway, since those arriving from orange
or red zones can be subject to quarantine on arrival if they can’t document that
they’re fully vaccinated. EU health authorities now categorize Norway as having high
levels of infection per every 100,000 residents. All of southern neighbouring Sweden
is now categorized as red, as are parts of the north, with the rest of the country
orange. The infection trend is rising, as it is in Norway where 612 new cases of the
Corona virus were registered in the past 24 hours leading into early Thursday (August
19).

***The Norwegian government con�rmed that it will soon offer Corona vaccine to
16- and 17-year-olds. The health ministry stated that those under age 18 are at low
risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19, but it had decided to follow the public
health institute FHI’s recommendation. The decision also follows a trend this summer
of infection spreading among youth. If that trend continues as the new school year
begins, the risk of illness can rise, concluded the ministry.

“The vaccine will protect individuals, let youth have more normal days and contribute
to immunity among the entire population,” Health Minister Bent Høie stated in a press
release on Wednesday (August 18). Vaccinating youth can also contribute towards
lowering infection pressure on society as a whole and preventing the spread of the
virus among children, Høie said. Vaccine will be offered to the 16- and 17-year-olds
after everyone aged 18 and older are fully vaccinated. Some teenagers can be
vaccinated earlier if, for example, they plan to attend school abroad or have a higher
risk of being infected. Two vaccines are now approved for those aged 12-17:
BioNTech/P�zer’s Comirnaty and Moderna’s Spikevax. FHI is recommending use of
Comirnaty in Norway.


***Schools opened all over Norway this week, raising concern that Corona virus
infection may spread among children and youth. Some parents are upset that they
can’t decide for themselves whether their children can be vaccinated. State health
authorities have no vaccination program yet for those under age 16. “If the health
authorities claim the virus isn’t dangerous for children, and know that they’ll probably
be infected regardless, maybe some (parents) will want their children to be infected
as soon as possible,” one Oslo-area father, Trym Nordhus, told newspaper
Aftenposten as school started Monday. He believes state authorities think most
children will either be infected with Covid-19 by others or eventually through a
vaccine. Dr Pål Surén, a pediatrician and researcher for the public health institute FHI,
said he understands many parents are worried about how schools are opening at the
“green” level with few if any Corona-related restrictions. “Many are uneasy that their
children are going back to school or day care while infection is still spreading,” he told
Aftenposten. “We don’t think infection will spread (among children) very quickly.” He
argues that children will also be urged to wash their hands often, that hugging or
other close contact will be discouraged and children falling ill will need to stay
home. FHI is still deliberating whether to offer vaccine to children, with Surén noting
that o�cials are still waiting for more data about how safe the vaccine is for children
down to age 12.

***Norwegian health authorities have once again postponed the fourth-step in

Norway’s reopening plan because of rising infection levels. They’re now also planning
to start vaccinating 16- and 17-year-olds in an effort to limit the spread of infection
when school starts. Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate expressed
concerns in newspaper Aftenposten on Friday about plans to fully reopen schools at
the “green” level with few Corona restrictions. He warns that some schools in Oslo
and elsewhere may soon have to go back to yellow and even red levels that would
reimpose restrictions. The Conservatives- led government, up for re-election in
September, still hopes to remove the last of national restrictions by late September
(see below). That’s because most all of Norway’s adult population will be fully
vaccinated by then, or at least been offered vaccine. In the meantime, restrictions will
remain in place.

“Vaccination levels are already high, but infection levels have risen again,” said Dr
Camilla Stoltenberg, leader of the public health institute FHI, at a press conference
Friday. “Infection has spread faster here in Norway, as it has in other countries.” The
Delta strain of the Corona virus has dominated in Norway since mid-July and more
than 1,100 fully vaccinated Norwegians have been infected by it. The fourth phase of
reopening, which will remove social-distancing restrictions and limits on social
gatherings, thus won’t begin until all adults are protected as much as possible by
vaccines. Norway is now due to receive an extra 1.3 million doses of the Moderna
vaccine that no longer were needed in Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland.

***Face masks are once again mandatory in Bergen, after the historic city on
Norway’s west coast has been hit by another jump in Corona infection. City o�cials
are also imposing a limit of no more than 10 guests in private homes and requiring
the use of home o�ces just as many Norwegians are heading back to work after the
summer holidays. “Anyone can be infected wherever right now,” Lubna Jaffery, acting
head of Bergen’s city government, said at a press conference on Wednesday. “This is
not a situation we want to be in, therefore we’re imposing new restrictions
today.” Restaurants will also be required to register all guests, everyone will have to
wear facemasks except when seated at tables and drinks won’t be served beyond
last call outdoors — all because infection levels are now at their highest level since
last November. Corona cases have been rising even though nearly 40 percent of the
city’s residents over age 18 are fully vaccinated. Line Vold of the public health
institute FHI stressed once again that vaccines don’t offer full protection. She said
Wednesday that even fully vaccinated Norwegians can become ill enough that they’ll
require hospitalization. A total of 1,137 have tested positive for the Corona virus even
after getting their second shot.

***Even though Corona virus infection is rising again in Norway, Health Minister Bent
Høie thinks most restrictions will be eased by the end of September. Høie justi�ed the
prediction based on the high level of Norwegians who’ll be fully vaccinated by then.
“The progress in the vaccination program means we can expect everyone over 18 will
have at least been offered their second dose of vaccine in late September,” Høie told
state broadcaster NRK on Tuesday. “Then there’s reason to believe we can live
normally in Norway again.” Developments abroad present the biggest source of
uncertainty, though, meaning it may still be di�cult to travel into Norway.

***Norway’s fourth wave of Corona infection has begun, according to assistant state
health director Dr Espen Rostrup Nakstad. He could also con�rm that fully 90 percent
of the new cases of infection are tied to the new Delta strain of the virus, and that 7
percent of Norwegians now being infected are fully vaccinated. That’s as expected,
Nakstad told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). He also thinks the numbers will rise
even as more Norwegians are vaccinated. Vaccines can offer as much as 95 percent
protection from the virus and its mutations, but not 100 percent.

The actual number of new Corona cases may also be higher than reported, since
many young people and those who are vaccinated don’t take a Corona test. If
symptoms are mild, many may assume they’ve just picked up a cold and no longer
think it’s important to get tested. Nakstad and other health o�cials wish they would,
and still urge everyone experiencing �u-like symptoms to take a Corona test.

With total infection cases up another 45 percent last week, Norway is now starting
its fourth wave of Corona cases. Most of those testing positive are young and have

only had their �rst dose of vaccine if any at all. That’s why the new Delta strain is
spreading as much as it is. Nakstad warned once again that the pandemic is not over
and that also young people can become seriously ill. He doesn’t think Norwegians
can expect normal everyday life as it was before the pandemic began until late
autumn.

***City o�cials in Bergen are reimposing restrictions after Corona infection levels
reached their highest level in nine months heading into the weekend. The numbers
are also rising in Oslo, but schools are expected to reopen “as normal” later this
month. “This was expected,” Oslo’s top politician in charge of health issues, Robert
Steen, told newspaper Dagsavisen on Friday (August 6). “Since the pandemic began,
infection levels have risen after every single holiday period. It’s as if people took
holiday from fundamental infection prevention rules, too.” He blamed increased
mobility, increased socializing and fewer people staying at least a meter apart from
one another. Vaccines may not always protect against new strains of the virus
either. The numbers of new infection cases aren’t large, but the increase is: 80
percent just in the past week. “We need to understand what’s happening and maintain
good infection prevention measures,” Steen said. In Bergen, o�cials are now
recommending a maximum of 10 guests in private homes and imposing rules that
once again require bars and restaurants to register all guests, who also will be
required to wear face masks when they’re not sitting at a table. Music levels must
also be low enough so that people can hear what others say from a distance of at
least a meter. Local nursing home residents will also be allowed only two visits a day.

***Neighbouring Sweden’s infection status as �nally low and therefore

mostly “green” didn’t last long. EU o�cials have painted the entire country yellow
again, while the Stockholm area is red. That means testing at the border and
mandatory quarantine if traveling from Sweden to Norway for everyone not fully
vaccinated. Iceland and Finland also went yellow (red in the Helsinki area), while all of
northern Denmark and the Copenhagen area also turned red with the rest of the
country now showing up as yellow. That’s likely to once again disrupt travel among
the Nordic nations. Most of Norway remained green with the exceptions of Sørlandet
(the southern coast from Kristiansand up to Skien), much of  Vestlandet on the west
coast and the northern area of Troms og Finnmark.

***Long lines of cars continue to form at border crossings into Norway from
Sweden, because of Norway’s ongoing and ever-changing Corona-related entry rules.
State broadcaster NRK reported Tuesday that the rules have changed no less than
150 times since the Corona crisis began. “The changes come so fast, so I can
understand that folks struggle to keep up,” Gjermund Thoresen, police chief in
Kongsvinger, told NRK. He said the police struggle to keep up with border control
measures, too. Kongsvinger is located close to the border crossing at Magnor, where

lines were long both Monday and Tuesday this week after the neighbouring Swedish
region of Värmland �nally was categorized as “green” since infection levels fell. That
meant it should have been easier to cross the border into Norway, but that wasn’t the
case. Both returning residents and non-Norwegian citizens must still document their
vaccination status and face possible testing. “When just one person doesn’t have all
his or her papers in order, it will take as long to process as 15 people who have all
documents ready,” Thoresen said. When Vämland’s green status became clear, lots of
Norwegians traveled to the nearby Swedish town of Charlottenberg to buy cheaper
groceries, beer and tobacco, among other things. When they all tried to return, it
formed massive tra�c jams, with many sitting in their cars for hours as they crept
closer to the border.

***Infection levels in Norway have risen by more than 50 percent in the last week,
with many of the cases linked to both infected travelers arriving on �ights from
abroad and young partying Norwegians. State health o�cials are worried, but still
don’t see a need for a third dose of Corona vaccine just yet. New numbers from
public health institute FHI show that Corona infection was found on board fully 52
�ights arriving in Norway last week. A total of 37 of the �ights were from abroad,
most of them from Amsterdam, while 15 were within Norway. Infected passengers
also arrived on four �ights from Copenhagen.

Health o�cials now fear a fourth wave of infection in Norway, after total levels rose
53.2 percent during the past week. Assistant state health director Dr Espen Nakstad
is concerned because “very many towns and cities now have a trend of rising
infection,” he told news bureau NTB, and that means outbreaks aren’t being controlled
before schools open again in late August. “We can have a fourth wave of infection
with the delta Virus before we’re �nished with the vaccination program,” Nakstad told
NTB, warning how that can result in more illness and hospitalizations. “Fortunately
very many are being vaccinated in the next few weeks. That will make it easier to
control the virus.”

The Delta strain now dominates in Norway, as it does in many other countries as
well. State health o�cials don’t think it will be necessary to vaccinate many with a
third shot except for some elderly or people with low immunity. “Right now it’s most
important to vaccinate as many adults as possible with two doses,” vaccine
researcher Gunnveig Grødeland told newspaper Aftenposten. “That will provide good
protection.”

***Infection levels continued to rise in Norway last week, despite a new survey by
news bureau Bloomberg that ranked the country best in the world at handling the
Corona pandemic. Prime Minister Erna Solberg was pleased, but warned that
rankings can quickly change and Norway itself now has “unfortunately rising

infection numbers” that con�rm how the pandemic is not over yet. Solberg’s
government decided earlier in the week to postpone the next and fourth step of its
reopening plan, predicting now that things won’t be back to normal until sometime
this autumn at the earliest. Norway continues to have among the strictest entry
regulations in the world (see below) and some regions including Bergen are
reimposing local restrictions after infection levels have steadily risen during the past
week.

Bloomberg’s “Covid Resilience Ranking” (external link) cited Norway’s high and

widespread vaccination levels, its low death rate and cautious moves to reopen
borders. Switzerland and New Zealand ranked second and third respectively after
Norway. Norwegian Health Minister Bent Høie announced at a government press
conference on Wednesday, meanwhile, that the next phase of the country’s reopening
has been postponed once again. It was supposed to take place in early to mid-July
and now won’t occur until sometime this fall, with a new evaluation due in August.
Høie tied the delay to new concerns over developments in several European countries
now plagued by the Delta strain of the virus, noting that even countries with high
vaccination coverage are struggling with Delta.

***New, stricter entry rules took effect on Monday (July 26). They can mean
mandatory quarantine on arrival in Norway, at least for those who can’t document
that they’re fully vaccinated or have had the Corona virus during the past six
months. Both Great Britain and the Netherlands are now listed as “dark red” with high
infection rates again. Even travelers who only have changed planes in either the UK or
the Netherlands are thus subject to hotel quarantine in Norway. Norway’s foreign
ministry is also advising against all travel that’s not strictly necessary to countries
outside the EU/EEA/Schengen area and Great Britain. Spain and Cyprus are also
“dark red,” meaning hotel quarantine upon arrival.

Quarantine, possibly at home, is also required upon arrival from other “red” countries
(now listed as Andorra, the Færøe Islands, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta,
Monaco and Portugal) and “orange” countries (Belgium and France). Most of
neighbouring Sweden remains green except for the regions of Norbotten (orange)
and Värmland (red). Most of Denmark remains remains orange or red while Finland
has several regional differences.

Norway’s travel rules are based on the public health institute’s own map, the criteria
for which varies somewhat from the EU’s. The new map in effect for next week will be
published late Sunday night and can be found here (external link to the public health
institute FHI’s website).

***Norway’s still-strict Corona rules have made it a less-attractive country for


tourists, also from neighbouring Sweden and Denmark. Reports have spread about
long lines both at Norway’s international airports and at border crossings on land, and
that personnel in charge aren’t always cordial. Newspaper Aftenposten recently wrote
about foreign tourists’ criticism of Norwegian “gorillas” upon arrival at passport and
customs control at OSL Gardermoen, Norway’s gateway airport. Also that they felt
they were viewed with suspicion instead of being welcomed. They’ve referred to
“Fortress Norway” on social media and many despised Norway’s use of mandatory
hotel quarantine, which has since been eased.

A new survey conducted by the state agency Innovation Norway shows that Norway
is less popular in both Sweden and Norway. “One theory can be that Norway has had
very strict entry rules and been among the last to open up,” Bente Bratland Holm,
tourism director for Innovation Norway told state broadcaster NRK this week. Visitor
numbers remain low: 102,571 overnight visits by foreigners in May, compared to
751,255 in May 2019 before the Corona crisis began. Government o�cials continue
to defend the strict entry rules, to keep Corona infection and death rates among the
lowest in the world.

***Norwegians have been traveling to Southern Europe even though they may face
quarantine upon return. Outbreaks of the Delta strain of the Corona virus have been
turning several countries orange and red, but travel bureaus aren’t reporting many
cancellations. The �rst charter tours in 16 months started taking off last week from
Norway to Spain’s Canary Islands, with tour operator Ving also resuming routes to
Crete, Mallorca and Rhodes this week. “We see in our own and external surveys that
travel fever is high,” Marie-Anne Zachrisson of Ving in Norway told newspaper Dagens
Næringsliv (DN). Her �rm hasn’t seen many cancellations, rather lots of new
reservations even though most of Southern Norway has been enjoying excellent
summer weather that’s even warmer than in Las Palmas. Tour operator Tui also
reported strong demand for �ights to Southern Europe during the next several weeks.
Destinations in Greece were most popular, especially Rhodes, Crete and Samos.

***More popular European tourist destinations were no longer “green” with low
infection levels heading into the weekend, causing new holiday headaches for those
attempting travel outside Norway. Border restrictions may force them into quarantine
upon return. The Norwegian government updated its constantly changing travel rules
on Friday, with new changes taking effect from midnight Sunday (July 18). All of the
UK is now “dark red,” as is Cyprus, meaning anyone arriving in Norway who isn’t fully
vaccinated or recovered from the Corona virus in the past six months will face
mandatory quarantine, possibly in designated hotels at their own expense. Spain,
Portugal, Andorra and the Netherlands, meanwhile, were all listed as “red” on Friday,
with Ireland, Monaco and Luxembourg “orange.” The same quarantine rules apply to
both orange and red countries.

While Sweden is now mostly green, a new rise in infection levels in Denmark has left
those arriving from the Danish regions of Sjælland, Midtjylland, Nordjylland and the
Copenhagen metropolitan area will also face quarantine upon return to Norway. Only
the southern portion of Denmark, Syddanmark, was listed as green.

It was unclear how many more people arriving in Norway could be denied entry
because they present a public health risk. Norwegian o�cial released statistic this
week showing that a total of 7,221 people were sent out of Norway during the �rst six
months of the year, 91 percent of them based on Corona-related issues. Only 42
people whose applications for asylum were rejected in Norway were sent out, 31
fewer than in the �rst half of 2020.

***Dr Camilla Stoltenberg was once again hailing “fantastic participation” in

Norway’s vaccination program. “This gives more hope for good �ock immunity,”
Stoltenberg, head of the public health institute FHI, told news bureau NTB. More than
90 percent of the population aged 55 and over are fully vaccinated. In Oslo, where
drop-in vaccination centers were opening this week, fully 80 percent of all those over
age 18 have received at least their �rst dose.

***Norway’s public health institute (FHI) cleared the way for “drop-in” vaccination
centers and making it possible for vaccine doses to be shared or transferred to
neighbouring municipalities. The goal is still to get as many people vaccinated during
the summer holidays as possible. Roughly half of the entire Norwegian population
has already received at least one vaccination, and now the youngest age groups are
being offered vaccine. Several cities including Oslo suddenly have lots of
appointments available in July, when many Norwegian families are away for summer
holidays, and have an oversupply of vaccine. Now they’ll be able to offer shots to
anyone showing up, and/or pass on vaccine to other towns or cities that need
more. In Lillestrøm northeast of Oslo, for example, o�cials suddenly found
themselves with 4,900 available vaccine appointments in July. That means around
4,900 people who were offered vaccine either declined the offer or didn’t respond
when they were called in. “This must be because of summer holidays,” the vaccine
coordinator in Lillestrøm, Lajla Lyseggen, told newspaper Aftenposten during the
weekend. “We’ve never had this problem before.”

***Around 450 fully vaccinated Norwegians have nonetheless become infected with

the Corona virus since the vaccination program began in late December. Among them
are 26 people who got so sick that they required hospitalization, and 19 have died.
“This con�rms that the vaccines aren’t 100 percent effective,” Dr Espen Rostrup
Nakstad of the state health department told state broadcaster NRK. The number of
those infected only amounts to 0.03 percent of the population but shows that even
those who are vaccinated should continue to follow infection protection measures.

“We know that as many as 10 percent of those vaccinated can test positive to the
virus,” Nakstad added. “Fortunately very few become seriously ill and the vast
majority (of those vaccinated) are well-protected from the virus.”

***Another change in Norway’s entry rules has disappointed travelers from the US
and some countries in Europe where infection levels have risen. Those arriving from
countries that no longer are “green” will once again face either hotel quarantine or
quarantine at home when they land in Norway. Everyone arriving from the US faces
hotel quarantine from midnight Sunday (July 11) unless they can document being
fully vaccinated with Corona certi�cates issued either in Norway or the US.
Quarantine will also be demanded for those returning from Luxembourg, three
regions in Finland including the Helsinki area and the island of Crete. Quarantine rules
already applied for Portugal and most of Spain, some regions of Sweden and all of
the UK.

The change is also affecting many Norwegian tourists who had happily �own off to
Crete when it was green and now face quarantine when they return because higher
infection levels have made it orange. Among them is Ingjerd Thurmer, who was at
least grateful that she’ll be allowed to spend her quarantine at home, since Crete is
orange and not red. “We’d been living in a green bubble,” Thurmer told state
broadcaster NRK Friday evening, so happy to be back on Crete for summer holidays
with her family. She also worried about the livelihoods of those working in the tourism
industry on Crete that needs revenues from tourists.

Hotel quarantine will be required for those returning from Cyprus and Portugal along
with the US and much of Spain because they’re all now considered “red.” With travel
rules still in a state of �ux because of rising and falling infection levels, authorities
continue to recommend against holiday travel outside of Norway for those who aren’t
fully vaccinated. They’re also recommending against all travel outside of Europe and
the UK.

***Health o�cials registered another 227 cases of the Corona virus overnight in
Norway in the middle of last week, a volume that was worrisome because it showed a
slightly rising infection trend after weeks of decline. The new numbers hadn’t made it
into the overall statistics yet, but o�cials could con�rm that the number was higher
than that logged on the same day last week. There was an average of 189 new cases
per day over the previous week, up from 181 in the previous week. Many are in Oslo,
which registered 45 new cases from late Monday to late Tuesday last week. That’s
three times the number of cases con�rmed during the same 24-hour period the week
before.

Infection levels were highest in Nordstrand, an a�uent neighbourhood on Oslo’s


southeast side. Infection was next-highest in Ullern and Frogner, also prosperous
areas on the west side of Oslo, while the lowest infection levels were logged in
Grorud, where infection has earlier been high among its immigrant community. The
infection situation in the capital has thus changed as the summer holiday season set
in.

***Foreign workers are starting to return to Norway after months of closed borders
and strict quarantine rules. Two young women from Slovakia could �nally land in Oslo
this week and proceed to summer jobs at a Norwegian hotel, while farmers can hope
their crops won’t keep spoiling in the �elds. “We just got on the �rst �ight possible,”
Nikoleta Luptakova of Slovakia told newspaper Aftenposten after emerging from
immigration, customs and Corona control at Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen. Like
many others, she’s now from a “green” country after Norway started honouring the
EU’s system of setting infection risk levels from Monday July 5. That means she and
others from “green” countries with low infection levels could travel more easily into
Norway.

Norway’s harmonization with the EU rules has led to anything but harmony at border
crossings, however. It instead set off a boom in both arrivals and departures at OSL
Gardermoen, and long lines at check-in because all documentation must be checked
manually. State broadcaster NRK reported that many people missed their �ights
because of the lengthy delays, ruining longed-for trips and leaving them with �nancial
losses because travel insurance won’t cover missed �ights.

Lines are also still long at border crossings into Norway from Sweden. NRK also
reported that some border police simply waved several Norwegians into the country
without going through all the control steps, just to relieve the chaos. “There are
periods with heavy tra�c, lots of pressure and huge workloads for those on duty,”
Stian Rasmushaugen of the Øst Police District told NRK. “Then some people were
just waved through.” Commercial trucks with scheduled deliveries to make are often
given priority, while the lines of Norwegians’ cars extended for several kilometers into
Sweden at some points on Monday. Average waiting times have declined, however,
from around four to �ve hours last week to less than two hours on Monday.

***A small rural community in Trøndelag was suddenly dealing with a relatively
major outbreak of the Corona virus this week. By Tuesday, reported state broadcaster
NRK, around 20 percent of the population of Holtålen was in quarantine: nearly 400 of
the roughly 2,000 people living in the scenic town just north of Røros. Local o�cials
con�rmed 24 cases (two of them so serious that they required hospitalization) and
they admitted they didn’t have control over the situation as of Tuesday afternoon.
Most were close contacts of those who initially fell ill but hadn’t throught to test
themselves. “Folks reported they only had slight headaches, upset stomachs or felt a

bit slapp (weary), but didn’t tie it to Corona,” said the chief medical o�cer in another
Trøndelag community, Orkland, that also has had an outbreak. He urged everyone to
test themselves no matter how minor their symptoms might seem.

***The Norwegian government plans to offer Corona vaccine to 16- and 17-year olds
as soon as the country’s entire population aged 18 and over are fully vaccinated. A
�nal decision is expected in September. “We want to have as much information about
the effects of such vaccinations (for younger teenagers) as possible before we start
vaccinating people under 18 in Norway,” Health Minister Bent Høie said at a press
conference on Monday. “The government will therefore wait with a �nal decision on
vaccinating 16- and 17-year-olds until Folkehelseinstituttet (Norway’s public health
institute) has made a new evaluation in September.”

Vaccinations of Norwegians younger than 18 wouldn’t begin until October at the

earliest. From that point on, Norway will also evaluate vaccinating younger age
groups as well in order to build up �ock immunity. Calls have also gone out for
Norway to donate more vaccine to poorer countries where only small percentages of
the population are vaccinated, but under rising threat of the highly contagious Delta
strain of the virus. Newspaper Dagsavisen editorialized on Monday that Norway must
contribute to towards vaccinating at least 10 percent of the populations of all poor
countries, which in turn can help �ght back Corona for all countries.

***Long lines formed at Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen on Monday (July 5), when
travel restrictions were �nally eased to several destinations in Europe. Airport o�cials
were expecting at least 30,000 travelers through the airport, a small percentage of
what used to be the norm but now a spike after 16 months of travel warnings,
restrictions and airline groundings. Lines were long because all passengers must
check in manually and present various forms of documentation, from passports and
Corona certi�cates to test results and, in many cases, arrival registration documents
called a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) for the country to which they’re traveling. The
forms are required and used by local health authorities to track arriving passengers if
they’ve been exposed to infection during their trip.

***More children, grandparents and sweethearts have been exempted from

Norway’s ongoing ban on entry that has applied to most everyone from outside
Europe. As of Monday (July 5), the government is allowing citizens from several of
the countries on the EU’s list of “safe” countries outside the EU to enter Norway, but
only if they’re visiting close family members, and they’ll still be subject to
quarantine. The government announced in a press release Friday (external link to the
government’s website) that they’d cleared the way for visitors with the following
relation to a person living in Norway: adult children and step-children, parents and
step-parents of adult children or step-children, grandparents, step-grandparents,

grandchildren and step-granddhildren. Sweethearts (partners) over age 18 and any of
their young children are also cleared, as long as the romantic relationship has lasted
a minimum of nine months and the partners have met each other in person on earlier
occasions. That means partners who’ve only met through online dating remain
excluded. Norwegians also must arrange for their partners to travel to Norway by
applying to the Norwegian immigration agency UDI (external link to UDI’s website)
and �lling out an electronic application form. There is no charge, but also no means
of appeal if an application is rejected.

Closer family members like spouses, partners and their children have already been
allowed entry into Norway, but everyone arriving from outside Europe is still required
to produce a negative Corona test result before arrival, undergo testing at the border
and adhere to whatever quarantine rules apply to the country from which they’re
arriving. That generally means quarantine for up to 10 days either at a designated
hotel or some other suitable place subject to approval by border authorities. The
somewhat relaxed entry rules will also apply only to citizens of the following
countries, as selected from an EU list by Norway’s public health institute FHI:
Australia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Serbia, South
Korea, Taiwan, the US and Singapore.

***O�cials in the northern city of Tromsø are recommending use of face masks
again, after a new and large outbreak of the Corona virus. “We don’t have the control
of the outbreak that we want and need to quickly tackle it,” the vice mayor of Tromsø,
Mats Hegg Jacobsen, said at a press conference on Friday. He said most of the
cases stem from various social gatherings lasts weekend. Several teenagers were
infected at a party and others at private parties and bars where those involved did not
follow infection control measures.

***Norwegian o�cials have approved compensation payments to two people who

suffered serious side effects after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine last spring, and
to the family of a woman who died. They’re the �rst to receive compensation after
use of the vaccine, which later was withdrawn from Norway’s vaccination program,
led to blood clots and internal bleeding. A total of 77 Norwegians have sought
compensation after suffering side-effects, fully 53 of them tied to the AstraZeneca
vaccine. Another 11 people complained of ill effects after taking the P�zer vaccine
and six are seeking vaccination after receiving the Moderna vaccine. Vaccines
received in seven other cases were not clari�ed. The amount of compensation paid
out was not revealed, but a lawyer for some of the paintiffs said the goal is to cover
costs and secure economic security for the survivors.

***The recent rise in con�rmed cases of the Delta strain of the Corona virus can
delay the fourth phase of Norway’s national reopening plan. Health Minister Bent

Høie told newspaper VG Thursday that new restrictions can also be imposed on short
notice. The Delta strain, which initially emerged in India, has been on the rise for
several weeks now (see below), with Dr Camilla Stoltenberg of the state public health
institute FHI calling the increase “considerable.” Now it’s threatening the full
reopening of Norway that’s due to click in later this month. “Given the uncertainty tied
to the Delta strain, my priority will be to avoid taking a step backwards in the summer
month of July, instead of taking another another step forward,” Høie told VG.
Ushering in the fourth step of the national reopening plan would involve relaxation of
several lingering Corona restrictions, including general infection control measures like
social distancing and border entry requirements. Dr Bjørn Guldvog of the state health
directorate supports an evaluation of whether the fourth reopening phase should be
postponed, “not necessarily for long, but somewhat.” It will ultimately hinge on the
overall infection situation in Norway, vaccination levels and the current Corona
burden on local hospitals.

***There’s been a sharp increase in the number of con�rmed cases of the Corona
virus’ Delta strain (initially called the Indian strain). Norway’s public health institute
FHI reported on Wednesday that the overall infection trend otherwise continues to
decline. FHI (Folkehelseinstitutt) reported that the important number indicating
average reproduction of the virus since May 27 has fallen to 0.7. FHI cautioned,
however, that differences remain among infection trends in various parts of the
country. The number of con�rmed cases of the Delta strain, meanwhile, has
increased from 50 in the last week of May to a total of 353 at the end of last week.
Most have been tied to outbreaks, reports FHI, all of which in turn have been traced to
people arriving in Norway from abroad. “It’s a considerable increase, but at a very low
level,” said Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of FHI, “and it’s not a rapid increase.” She
noted, however, that the Delta strain will probably “take over” in Norway as it has in
the UK. She said Norwegian health o�cials will be monitoring developments closely
through the summer.

***Oslo’s city government plans to relax most of its remaining Corona virus-related
restrictions, if infection rates continue to decline. Among them would be the city’s
requirements for use of home o�ces and ongoing restrictions on the serving of
alcohol beverages. From Monday July 5, most people will be able to return to their
o�ces (if they’re not already off on summer holidays) and bars can serve drinks until
3am. High school graduates known as russ can also resume partying. The only major
Corona-related requirement will be for ongoing use of face masks on public
transportation and in taxis. The city will otherwise follow the more liberal national
regulations, that were relaxed on June 20.

***Norway’s summer holidays are setting in, but ongoing Corona restrictions have
left hotel owners and other tourism-related businesses worried. With hardly any

foreign visitors expected and no cruiseships in the fjords yet, no one is expecting a
pro�table season. “A piece of the summer soul of Balestrand is gone,” Endre Hovland,
who lives in the scenic and historic coastal community along the Sognefjord, told
newspaper Klassekampen on Tuesday. Cruiseships no longer dock in Balestrand, but
often sail by on their way to Aurland and Flåm. This year cruise tra�c is as low as it
was last year. Balestrand’s lavish landmark hotel usually attracts bus loads of tourists
every summer, but now there are few if any in sight.

Tourism o�cials all over Norway hope Norwegian tourists will make up for some of
the looming losses, at least in the traditional holiday month of July. They’re not
known for being as willing as foreign tourists to pay high hotel rates, though, and
foreign tourist tra�c in August is expected to be weak. Ståle Brandshaug of the local
tourism promotion agency Visit Sognefjord warns it will be a “blood-red year” for
most in the tourism business, with another 60 percent decline in revenues compared
to the pre-Corona year of 2019.

***Many Norwegians continue to use face masks, even though they’re still only
required in taxis and when using public transportation. Lots of employees in stores,
restaurants, cafés, museums and other public gathering places still wear them,
though, as do their customers. “It’s no longer required, but recommended,” said the
masked security guard outside an outlet of Norway’s state liquor store chain
Vinmonopolet. Most everyone heading in thus opted to put on a face mask, not least
since most still carry one. State o�cials and, more recently, local o�cials even in
Norway’s most restrictive city of Oslo have all relaxed face mask rules. They’re now
only recommended if it’s impossible to stay a meter apart from others. With nearly
half of Norway’s population vaccinated with at least their �rst short, the infection risk
has declined markedly and remained “stable” for several weeks. Some employers still
want their workers who deal with the public to wear masks, for example at a Joker
grocery store in Oslo’s Bjørvika district. “We have to continue to think about the
Corona situation, and face masks help protect against it,” Sahar Soltani, who works at
the Joker store, told newspaper Aftenposten. There are no longer any demands that
customers wear masks, but many do: “I think the rule change came rather abruptly,
so when I’m in a store, I’ll still wear one,” said customer Kari Kvam.

***Norway looks likely to lead the world in the degree to which its population is
vaccinated against the Corona virus. A new study shows that more than 90 percent
of Norwegians accept the state’s offer to be vaccinated, which greatly cheers state
health o�cials. “There are so many who want to get vaccinated, and that’s very good
news,” Dr Camilla Stoltenberg told news bureau NTB on Thursday (June 24). She said
that can greatly contribute to so-called “�ock immunity” in Norway. Stoltenberg, who
heads Norway’s public health institute FHI that’s in charge of Norway’s vaccination
program, also thinks Norway has the world’s highest degree of vaccination coverage.

“We initially thought up to 90 percent would accept our offer of vaccine, and that’s
sky-high in the world,” she told NTB. “We’re also well above the percentages of age
groups that are fully vaccinated. Fully 98.3 percent of all Norwegians aged 75 to 84,
for example, have had both shots.

The high level of public con�dence in FHI pleases both Stoltenberg and Health
Minister Bent Høie. The only downside is that with most all Norwegians eager to be
vaccinated, delays have cropped up because Norway’s vaccine supplies haven’t kept
up with demand. The pace is picking up now, however (see below).

***Many Europeans with a Corona certi�cate from their own countries can now
travel to Norway without having to go through quarantine. Airport o�cials were
warning of long lines at border entry points, especially at Norway’s gateway airport
OSL Gardermoen, but one woman from Denmark who came to visit her mother
reported a relatively easy arrival. “The certi�cate and border control functioned
perfectly,” Beate Wegger told state broadcaster NRK. The new EU Corona certi�cates
are issued to those who are fully vaccinated or have had Covid-19 during the past six
months. They also enable those arriving from countries with low infection rates not
only avoid quarantine but also testing at the border and having to �le an arrival
registration form. Those countries currently include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Croatia, Iceland, Poland and
Latvia.

***A majority of Norwegians think children as young as 12 should be vaccinated

against the Corona virus, according to a new public opinion poll. Norway’s national
vaccination program currently targets those age 18 and up, but only 14 percent of the
public don’t think children should be vaccinated. The poll, conducted by research �rm
Kantar for Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK), showed that 53 percent of those
questioned agree that all youngsters aged 12 to 18 should be offered a Corona
vaccine. The P�zer vaccine, which is included in Norway’s program, has been
medically approved for use in Europe for children age 12 and up. Norway’s state
public health institute FHI is currently evaluating whether to include them in the
program. Fully 68 percent of Norwegians think at least 16- and 17-year-olds should be
vaccinated, not least following outbreaks of the virus among high school students.
The latest was playing out in the southern coastal town of Grimstad on Wednesday,
where all Midsummer Eve celebrations were discouraged after an outbreak that’s
resulted in orders for around 2,000 teenagers to be tested.

***The pace of vaccinations is expected to pick up dramatically in Oslo over the next
two weeks, when the capital is due to receive 161,000 doses. Newspaper
Aftenposten reported that around 70,000 doses were arriving this week and 91,000
next week, meaning that at least 100,000 people will receive their �rst shots. The

remainder will be used to fully vaccinate the other 61,000. Around 236,000 Oslo
residents aged 18 to 44 still hadn’t received their �rst shot as of Monday, but that
number should be nearly cut in half by end of next week.

Health Minister Bent Høie said at another government press conference on

Wednesday that he hopes those who still haven’t been vaccinated won’t take off for
any summer holidays until they’ve received their shots. “We completely rely on as
many as possible meeting up when called in for their vaccination,” Høie said. “The
most important thing to do this summer is to meet up for your vaccination
appointment.”

***Norway intends to give away all new deliveries of the Janssen (Johnson &
Johnson) vaccine, donating them to other countries in need. The single-dose
Janssen vaccine has raised questions over possible serious side-effects, but is still
considered safe for many. Even though it was withdrawn from Norway’s vaccination
program, along with the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Norwegian government recently
allowed Norwegians to take it if they met certain health requirements and needed or
wanted to be vaccinated before they were eligible in the national program. An Oslo
clinic specializing in vaccinations for those traveling abroad reported strong demand
for the Janssen vaccine when it �nally arrived in Norway last week.

Norwegians requesting the Janssen vaccine must be cleared by their own doctors
that they’re at high risk of being infected with the Corona virus, that the virus would
put them at risk for serious illness or death and that they faced long waits for other
vaccines. They also must be medically deemed to not be at a risk of developing blood
clots. Norway has received 3,885 doses of the Janssen vaccine and was due to
receive another 100,000 in July and more than 700,000 in August. They’re now
expected to be donated to other countries instead.

***The Delta strain of the Corona virus is being fought back in Norway after making
its way beyond strict border control. In one case, it’s believed to have entered the
country on a bus from Sweden, along with people arriving from India, several other
countries in Asia and the Middle East, plus the UK, Spain and Russia. Newspaper
Aftenposten reported during the weekend that the Delta strain has arrived with at
least 27 different travelers to Norway. Health authorities think it will dominate most
new cases of the Corona virus this summer, but they’re managing to control it and
stop most outbreaks. One of the most recent, however, started with a bus trip from
Sweden. On board was a passenger from “a country in South Asia” that wasn’t
identi�ed, according to Aftenposten. Those on board the bus ended up setting off the
biggest alarm, along with those infected by some workers at a quarantine hotel who’d
been unwittingly infected by other guests. The latter outbreak and another in
Trondheim were quickly controlled and health authorities were encouraged: With

quick infection tracking, they believe, it’s also possible to limit or stop the spread of
the Delta strain.

***Norway’s strict border control, aimed at preventing imported Corona infection,

may cause permanent damage to relations between Norway and Sweden, fears the
mayor of Strömstad in Sweden where thousands of Norwegians used to do a lot of
their shopping. Tough re-entry requirements to Norway, quarantine demands and
unyielding Norwegian o�cials have taken a toll on neighbouring Swedes who’ve lost
lots of business. “A form of nationalism has emerged that doesn’t feel healthy,” Mayor
Kent Hansson told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Friday. He claims it’s led to
“polarization between Norwegians and Swedes, on both sides.” The editor of the local
newspaper, Strømstads Tidning, also points to “a tougher climate, with people
hanging on to their models and thinking that either Sweden did things right or Norway
did things right. Then they get irritated at one another.”

Editor Gunilla Håkonsson was also disappointed that her newspaper couldn’t cover
the Norwegian justice minister’s press conference at the border crossing at
Svinesund on Wednesday that addressed important border issues, and was followed
up by another press conference in Oslo Friday: No exemption for the Swedish
journalists was granted to exempt them from hotel quarantine requirements in
Norway. “News about this is so important for us, and affects our lives much more
here,” Håkonsson told NRK, “so I think it’s serious that we were hindered from
attending.” Norway’s controversial hotel quarantine demands will, meanwhile be
dropped from noon on Saturday for all residents of European Economic Area and
Schengen.

There’s long been rivalry between Swedes and Norwegians but it’s mostly been
friendly over the past hundred years. Several trying to retain friendship celebrated the
75th anniversary of the old Svinesund Bridge on Tuesday, with cakes baked in both
Norway and Sweden. “Norway and Sweden were almost like one country before
Corona,” former Halden Mayor Thor Edquist told NRK. “Right now it doesn’t seem like
there’s any cooperation between the countries at all. Folks are so tired of this
(Corona) now.” His Swedish counterpart agreed: “For those of us living in border
areas there hasn’t been a border. What’s happened now is like drawing a line through
Oslo and saying those on either side can’t cross it.”

***Norway’s overall infection levels continue to decline, extending a trend that began
several weeks ago. There are still some outbreaks, most recently in the coastal
community of Færder southwest of Oslo, where 56 people have tested positive with
the so-called “Delta” strain �rst discovered in India. Health o�cials are otherwise
seeing “an ongoing decline in the numbers of con�rmed cases” and fewer
hospitalizations, according to Line Vold of the state public health institute FHI. She

told news bureau NTB that there also are “fewer outbreaks” despite those that
recently have cropped up in Færder (Tønsberg, Nøtterøy and Tjøme), Alta,
Hammerfest and Trondheim.

The new Corona cases in Færder, believed to stem from a choir’s concert on the
island of Nøtterøy, accounted for roughly 10 percent of all those in Norway and the
local chief medical o�cer, Dr Elin Jakobsen, called it “a challenging situation, with a
virus different than what we’re used to.” She noted how the new Delta strain “spreads
more quickly and we’re seeing that even fully vaccinated people have been
infected.” Both she and Vold urged all Norwegians to continue following infection
control measures and quarantine regulations, limiting social contact and getting
tested “at the slightest sign of infection.”

***Norway is �nally poised to start allowing Norwegians who’ve been fully

vaccinated abroad to return to their homeland. It remains a demanding process, but
the health ministry issued a statement on Wednesday that the government is now
“opening up” for registration of Corona vaccines received abroad in the national
vaccination register SYSVAK. The ministry stressed that the vaccines received must
be among those approved by the European Medicines Agency and that those fully
vaccinated have a Norwegian fødselsnummer (the equivalent of a US Social Security
number) or a D-nummer (a national registration number often issued to foreign
workers or other temporary residents). Applicants must also have an “electronic
consultation” with their primary care physician in Norway, health service in their
hometowns or a private doctor in Norway in order to document vaccinations
abroad. Health Minister Bent Høie said many Norwegians will thus be able to then
obtain the new Corona certi�cates (see below) that can allow Norwegians arriving
from abroad to avoid hotel quarantine or shorten their quarantine time. More details
are available in the government’s press release (external link to the government’s
website, in Norwegian only). Non-Norwegian citizens arriving in Norway from abroad,
meanwhile, remain subject to the mandatory 10 days in hotel quarantine at their own
expense.

***Prime Minister Erna Solberg defended her government’s strict and ongoing border
control, meant to keep imported Corona infection out of Norway. “We can’t stumble at
the �nish line,” she told newspaper Aftenposten this week after long lines at border
control stations and more criticism over how migrant workers, tourists and many
others can’t enter without lengthy quarantine. “During this last phase (of the Corona
crisis) there are some regulations and challenges we still face,” Solberg said,
including the risk of new strains of the virus. “We’re doing our best to keep it out.
Therefore we have to ensure that we can verify and have control over the systems
needed for folks coming over the border.”


***Norwegian truck drivers declared a “catastrophe” at the border into Norway at
Svinesund early this week, after more lengthy delays of up to several hours trying to
enter the country. Vehicles including passenger cars formed lines up to 10 kilometers
long as they waited for border police to allow them into the country. “Part of the
challenge is that police have to spend a lot of time helping people register their
arrival,” Ronny Samuelsen, operations leader for the Øst Police District, told state
broadcaster NRK Tuesday afternoon. The new forms are now demanded by the
government in addition to certi�cation of either being fully vaccinated, having
recovered from the Corona virus or having tested negative in the past three
days. “This is creating the long lines,” Samuelsen added. “If people had pre-registered
their entry, things could have gone more quickly.” That can be done by clicking to
reg.entrynorway.no (external link to the government’s website, in Norwegian) . The
delays are causing major problems for truck drivers, according to the local leader of
Norway’s trucking federation, Norges Lastebileier Forbund, Erik Graaud. “We’ve had
trucks arriving in the morning and sitting in lines for two hours just to get over the
bridge (separating Norway and Sweden),” Graaud told NRK. “I must say this is a
catastrophe.” The long lines were disrupting the truckers’ schedules and also
delaying their arrival back home because they’d already used up allocated time
behind the wheel.

***Norway’s vaccination program was hit by disappointment this week, after the
government reported that far less vaccine from P�zer will be delivered than earlier
projected. More vaccine from Moderna will help offset the loss, but delays
loom. Norwegian health o�cials were informed that P�zer will be sending around
900,000 fewer doses of its Covid-19 vaccine over the next three months. Public
health institute FHI, which is responsible for the vaccination program, is therefore
recommending that the interval between shots be extended back to 12 weeks, from
the nine weeks currently in effect. That will allow more Norwegians to at least get
their �rst dose, despite having to wait longer for the second and �nal dose. Health
Minister Bent Høie said it may be possible to combine P�zer with Moderna, meaning
 those receiving P�zer may be able to follow up with Moderna later if enough is
available. The reduction in P�zer deliveries is nonetheless expected to delay �rst
doses by at least one week, and two weeks for the second doses. Health authorities
had hoped that most Norwegians over age 18 would be fully vaccinated by the end of
August or early September. Now that may be extended until late September.

***Norwegians can soon start using new “Corona Certi�cates” to attend such events
as football matches, concerts or even any festivals that haven’t already been
cancelled. Those who aren’t fully vaccinated can gain entry with a negative Corona
test not older than 24 hours. The new certi�cates started becoming available on
Friday, and show vaccination status, any record of having had the Corona virus and
Corona test results. They’re currently only in use at border crossings into Norway, to

help avoid hotel quarantine, but can now be used for admission to various events and
for cruises along the Norwegian coast. The certi�cates will eventually allow event
organizers to admit larger audiences, up to 2,500 people indoors and 5,000 people
outdoors when assigned seating is available.

***Norway’s public health institute FHI wants the City of Oslo to further slow its
pace of reopening. Oslo o�cials already postponed their third step in the reopening
process, which covers recreational facilities like bowling alleys and bingo halls, for a
week because of higher infection levels, mostly among partying high school
graduates (see below) and now FHI wants it to proceed more slowly than initially
expected. “In order to ensure a controlled reopening, we advise against moving
forward with all points in the third step,” FHI announced just before the weekend. It
said it was particularly concerned because around 40,000 Oslo residents over age 45
still aren’t vaccinated, meaning a new outbreak could lead to a sharp rise in
hospitalizations.

***Long lines formed at border crossings after Norwegian o�cials began to allow

fully vaccinated Norwegians back into the country without going through quarantine.
Many braved the prospect of long delays, Corona testing and an ongoing risk of hotel
quarantine if new electronic vaccination documents weren’t in order. “Every single
person entering the country is being checked,” Justice Minister Monica Mæland told
reporters on Friday afternoon. “We are still not in a normal situation and we must still
try to hinder imported infection with a new wave and new shutdowns. That’s why we
need to use a lot of time questioning each traveler. The more who travel, the longer
the queues.” She reminded Norwegians that the government still discourages travel
unless it’s absolutely necessary. Neither Sweden nor Denmark were on the ministry’s
initial list of countries with infection rates low enough that quarantine could be
avoided for those fully vaccinated. At the popular Nordby Shopping Center just over
the border in Sweden, many stores remained closed and there were no large crowds
yet. Norwegians traditionally drive over the border to shop in Sweden, where prices
are much lower and selection can be better. Uncertainty over whether borders could
close again or that rules can change have made many reluctant to risk crossing the
border until the pandemic is over.

***Norwegian owners of holiday homes in Sweden were considering an appeal to

Norway’s Supreme Court, after an appeals court ruled earlier this week that the
government was within it rights in ordering them into quarantine upon return from
any visits. Around 12,400 Norwegians own a so-called hytte (torp in Swedish) just
over the border in Sweden, and roughly a thousand joined in the class-action suit to
regain unfettered access to their own properties. They won at the Oslo County Court
level but the appeals court found in favour of the state. The Norwegian government
has since dropped quarantine requirements for returning residents who are fully

vaccinated, but the hytte owners still claim a matter of principle is at stake.

***Graduating high school seniors known as russ aren’t being allowed to ride around
Oslo this weekend in their brightly painted buses with loud stereo systems. City
government leader Raymond Johansen, who postponed any further reopening of
Oslo until next week because of higher infection levels, claimed he wasn’t putting the
hard-partying teenagers “in the dog house,” but rather just wanted to prevent more
infection from spreading amongst them. “We saw more cases of infection among
those who’d been on board russ busses,” Johansen told newspaper Dagsavisen. With
no russ rulling (rolling) in Oslo, though, police reported that they had to shut down
some large and noisy gatherings of busses in neighbouring communities such as Lier
and Hole.

***A new strain of the Corona virus has been found in Norway, and it’s worrying state
health o�cials. It has “very many mutations,” said Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of the
public health institute FHI, meaning that “we’re following it very closely.” The new
strain has been dubbed C36 and doesn’t have a name yet. “This variant is bad news,”
Stoltenberg said on Wednesday. FHI (Folkehelseinstitutt) doesn’t know yet whether
it’s more contagious, can make people sicker og whether current vaccines will be able
to fend it off, or be less effective against it.

The new virus was found in May to have infected Norwegians living in the counties of
Viken, Vestfold and Telemark. It has some of the same mutations seen in the Alfa
(British) and Delta (Indian) strains. It’s also been registered in the Middle East,
including Egypt, Stoltenberg said, and there’s a milder version of it. Others aren’t as
alarmed as Stoltenberg, including Dr Andreas Christensen of St Olavs Hospital in
Trondheim. He told state broadcaster NRK that new virus strains are expected and
can be tackled with standard Corona containment measures. The biggest problem
now, he added, is the public’s weariness of the Corona crisis and all its restrictions.

***Fully-vaccinated Norwegians will be able to avoid quarantine upon re-entry into

Norway from Friday, as long as they test negative at the border or within two days of
arrival. Those arriving from countries with high infection rates, however, can still be
ordered into quarantine if o�cials �nd it necessary to change the rules yet again.
Uncertainty and long lines at border entry points still make it risky to travel abroad,
and the Norwegian government continues to urge against all foreign travel that’s not
absolutely necessary.

***Public health institute FHI has dropped plans to stage large concerts to test
whether rapid testing upon entrance can reduce infection risk. While o�cials in
Bergen were willing to allow concerts that could attract as many as 7,000 people,
those in Oslo were not. “There are still high infection rates (in Oslo),” said the city’s

top politician in charge of health issues, Robert Steen. He worries that any infection
stemming from the concert would create an even bigger workload for those trying to
trace infection sources. Oslo o�cials also have enough to do, he said, following up all
those ordered into quarantine at home.

***The pandemic in Norway is not over yet, warn both Prime Minister Erna Solberg
and the head of public health institute FHI, Dr Camilla Stoltenberg. They’re reacting to
what seemed to be a statement from one of FHI’s own top o�cials indicating
otherwise. Dr Preben Aavitsland had sent out a message on social media Sunday
(June 6) with a graph showing a sharp decline in hospitalization rates and a brief
statement that roughly equated to “So that was that pandemic.” He also told state
broadcaster NRK that “here in Norway, the pandemic is for the most part over. There
are very few people being hospitalized … and the numbers (of those infected) are
quickly going downhill while the numbers of those vaccinated are steadily rising. We
will see some small outbreaks here and there, but we know how they can be stopped
within three- to four weeks.”

Neither Solberg nor Stoltenberg agreed with Aavitsland’s assessment, nor did Dr
Espen Nakstad, one of the leading spokesmen for the state health directorate. “We
may well be �nished with the pandemic something this autumn,” said Solberg, who
interrupted her Sunday evening to appear live on NRK’s national nightly newscast,
“but it’s important not to celebrate too early. It’s actually right now when we need to
make the last major contribution. It’s still important to be careful these next few
weeks, so that we don’t have any large new outbreaks.” Stoltenberg also claimed it
was “too early for FHI to claim that this pandemic is over in Norway. Preben
Aavitsland has himself now clari�ed that “we still need to go the �nal round.” Morten
Wolden, a top administrator in Trondheim where o�cials are battling a new outbreak
and have shut down the city once again, was not happy about Aavitsland’s initial
message: “It’s very frightening to proclaim that the pandemic is over when it’s not.”
Nakstad added that “we can’t relax until everyone has received their second dose of
the vaccine in August and September. Then we can hopefully live normally again.”

***Norway will be able to claim either Monday or Tuesday (June 8) that more than 3
million vaccination doses will have been injected, including second and �nal shots.
That’s “an important milestone,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Monday morning. It
means 25 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated, in addition to the 33
percent who’ve received their �rst shot, and that nearly half the population is being
protected form the Corona virus. The numbers lag many other countries in Europe,
but the vaccination tempo is expected to pick up substantially over the next few
weeks as Norway �nally receives more vaccine through its agreement with the EU.

***Norway’s complicated and ever-changing Corona rules were altered once again

on Friday (June 4), resulting in a bit more relaxation of quarantine requirements upon
entry. Those who are fully vaccinated or been infected with Covid-19 earlier can now
leave quarantine after three days if they test negative to the virus. A few more
countries were added to the list of those from which Norwegians can avoid otherwise
mandatory hotel quarantine. Justice Minister Monica Mæland admitted once again
that Norway’s rules can cause great confusion and frustration, also among border
patrol personnel. More than 100 police o�cers will thus be added to border control
stations to reduce long lines and allow more time for daily brie�ngs on rule changes.

“Those working along the border have been in a demanding situation, as regulations
steadily need to be changed and lines of those arriving in the country get longer
because of all the demands for documentation,” Mæland said at the government’s
latest Corona press conference Friday afternoon. “Border police have been under a
lot of pressure because of the pandemic.” So have those daring to travel out of
Norway and back in again. It’s the rules regarding re-entry that have been the most
erratic and troublesome.

New pending “Corona certi�cates” to document vaccinations aim to make things

easier, but it all depends on infection levels in the countries from which travelers are
arriving. Exemptions from hotel quarantine now apply to most of Finland, Iceland and
several more European countries including Malta (where 70 percent of the population
has been vaccinated), Italy, Germany, Poland, the UK, Ireland and several more, but
not Sweden or Denmark.

(For the full list of countries from which arriving passengers can now spend their
quarantine period at home, click here, external link to the government’s website, in
Norwegian but scroll to the bottom.)

***More than 1,300 graduating high school seniors known as russ were in

quarantine in Oslo on Thursday (June 3), following outbreaks of the Corona virus
after lots of recent partying. City o�cials ordered a halt to all russ gatherings for at
least the next week. The city stated in a press release that it was all but impossible to
track the actual sources of infection because of the russ‘ “large and random
networks” and uncertainty over who their close contacts may have been. The sudden
and sharp increase in con�rmed cases of the Corona virus thus prompted the ban on
all russ celebrations until next Wednesday. The ban includes russ from surrounding
areas, meaning they can’t travel into Oslo for scheduled outdoor gatherings. City
health o�cials quickly set up more testing stations around Oslo and urged all
russ, other youth and their families to test themselves even if they have no
symptoms. “It’s important that those who have been to parties get themselves tested,
also if they’re not russ,” said Dr Frode Hagen, Oslo’s chief medical o�cer.


***Norway’s new Corona certi�cates may be available by mid-June, meaning that
Norwegians who’ve been vaccinated would be able to avoid the current 10-day
mandatory quarantine. Vaccinated Norwegians will also be able to avoid hotel
quarantine at their own expense from noon Thursday, but will still have to go through
quarantine at home. Health Minister Bent Høie announced that if all goes as planned,
the Corona certi�cates that effectively can allow travel abroad should be available
sooner than expected. They’ll also apply to those who’ve actually been ill with Corona
during the past six months and those who’ve only been vaccinated with their �rst
shot at least three weeks prior to reentry into Norway.

Høie now thinks the government will be able to offer “a veri�able Corona certi�cate
with QR codes” by June 11. Then it’s up to the Parliament to approve it, he said at a
press conference on Wednesday. He still couldn’t give a concrete answer, however,
about when fully vaccinated Norwegians who travel abroad will actually be able to
travel back into Norway without even having to go through quarantine at home. Høie
said he was “optimistic,” though, that “within a few weeks” it will be possible to travel
to Sweden, which has had high infection rates, and avoid quarantine upon return.
Sweden and other countries, however, would need to fully re-open their borders as
well. State health director Bjørn Guldvog said he was also optimistic: “Now we’re
seeing, fortunately, that infection is declining in our neighbouring country. That
presents new opportunities.”

The relaxed entry rules won’t apply, however, to anyone vaccinated in countries other
than Norway, meaning all non-Norwegian citizens will still be subject to quarantine,
also in a hotel. Høie said work is underway, however, on a system under which
Norwegian citizens vaccinated abroad could get their vaccinations registered in
Norway. A European certi�cate is still expected to be ready in early July, meaning
veri�ably vaccinated Europeans would be able to enter Norway without going through
quarantine, and vaccinated Norwegians could travel more freely within Europe.

***After several days of warm sunny weather, Oslo o�cials are reporting a sharp rise
in Corona infection levels. Last week’s relaxation of the strictest Corona containment
measures has led to much more socializing, and locals �ocked to parks and beaches
to enjoy the early summer. The rise in infection levels was expected, claimed both
state and city health o�cials. Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate said
he thinks it’s better that people were socializing outdoors than indoors. Robert Steen,
Oslo’s top political leader in charge of health issues, warned, however, that new
outbreaks can �are up suddenly. “We have had a long-term decline in the infection
trends and came down to a low level,” Steen told news bureau NTB on Wednesday,
“but at the same time, we still have infection in our city.” He said the new numbers for
Oslo are “a powerful reminder that we’re living in a more open city with infection.”


***University students are leaving Trondheim earlier than expected, after a spike in
infection levels forced the city into a new shutdown. Plans for celebrating delivery of
exam papers were spoiled by the shutdown, and most all classroom instruction came
to a halt before the summer holidays. “I had planned to stick around for a few more
days, to enjoy the great weather with friends after exams,” one student from Drøbak
told state broadcaster NRK, but she decided head home. Bars and restaurants have
had to close and with infection levels high, partying was hazardous. Those still facing
exams can also deliver them digitally from home. “Many people are heading home
since the situation is so strict here,” another student said. “There’s no reason to stay.”

*** More than a million Norwegians are now fully vaccinated with their second dose
of a Corona vaccine, while another 1.6 million have received at least their �rst
vaccinations. That means nearly half the adult population has now received at least
some protection against the Corona virus, and Prime Minister Erna Solberg is
pleased. “The tempo and the large numbers of those taking part in the vaccination
program are important, if we’re to continue easing restrictions and get Norway going
again,” Solberg told news bureau NTB during the weekend. “If we manage to keep
infection numbers down, and if deliveries of more vaccine arrive as promised, we’ll be
able to move into the third phase of the national reopening within a reasonable
amount of time.”

Solberg wouldn’t predict exactly when, or especially when Norwegians and visitors
can freely cross the borders into Norway again, but the news from the state public
health institute FHI running the vaccination program is good. FHI reported on Monday
that nearly 35,000 Norwegians received their second dose during the weekend,
bringing the total of fully vaccinated to 1,006,268, nearly 19 percent of the
population. In addition come another 1,637,918 who’ve also had their their �rst dose,
or around 31 percent of the population. The combined number of roughly 2.64 million
amounts to 49.8 percent of the population with less risk of becoming infected with
Covid-19.

***Despite declining infection rates nationwide, the Corona crisis is far from over in
Norway as outbreaks continue to �are in various towns and cities. Trondheim was
forced back into shutdown modus on Monday (May 31) as the new Indian strain
continued to infect local residents (see below). City o�cials in Trondheim cracked
down on socializing, with a limit of two guests in private homes, a ban on all public
arrangements and closure of gyms and public swimming pools. Universities and
colleges were limited to digital instruction only and all organized sports for everyone
age 20 and over were halted. The city also banned the serving of alcoholic beverages,
meaning most bars and restaurants would probably close, too. The cities of
Kristiansand and Hammerfest are also undergoing similar shutdowns this week.


***Prime Minister Solberg is happy that Oslo is able to start reopening but her
choice of a place to celebrate it with a drink last week sparked criticism. She headed
off to a bar in Oslo’s trendy neighbourhood of Grünerløkka, but it wasn’t among those
that’s suffered closures, had to lay off staff and could �nally reopen. Instead, reported
local media including VG and Dagens Næringsliv (DN), it’s a bar owned by one of her
former top political advisers, Sigbjørn Aanes, who’s now a partner at the powerful
First House communications �rm. Other owners include one of Solberg’s many
former justice ministers, Tor Mikkel Wara, former transport minister Jon Georg Dale
and former state secretary Ole Berget, all of the Progress Party. The bar had also
opened in a location where another had gone out of business during the Corona
crisis. “My �rst reaction is that it’s strange the prime minister chose to visit a new bar,
when we have a city full of bars and restaurants that have worked so hard to get
through the crisis,” the owner of a local reopened restaurant told DN. “When I heard
who’s behind the new place, I was even more disappointed. I think she should support
those who’ve been �ghting (to stay in business), not her old colleagues.”

***The Indian strain of the Covid-19 virus has spread in Oslo and Viken County, after
an outbreak at a quarantine hotel in Viken earlier this month. Hotel staff are believed
to have unwittingly spread the highly contagious strain of the virus further, with state
health o�cials suspecting there currently are around 50 cases in the Oslo
area. Public health institute FHI con�rmed in a new report that the Indian strain has
spread to other areas in Oslo and Viken after the outbreak at the unidenti�ed
quarantine hotel. “We don’t know yet how big the outbreak really is, but we’re tracking
the infection and expect to �nd more cases,” Dr Preben Aavitsland of FHI told state
broadcaster NRK on Saturday afternoon. FHI also reported that there’s a “medium- to
high danger” that the Indian strain will spread further in Norway.

“Since it’s more contagious, we expect that within a month or two, there will be more
cases (of the Indian strain) than there are of the British strain, which now dominates
in Norway,” Aavitsland said. Neither he nor other FHI o�cials think it will halt the
reopening of Norway currently underway, however, because the country’s vaccination
program is moving forward. Line Vold of FHI also noted that infection prevention
measures in Norway remain strict and have proven to be effective.

Vaccination doesn’t always help: FHI con�rmed in its new report that three of those
found to be infected with the Indian strain had been vaccinated with their �rst dose,
two of them more than three weeks after receiving it. Two others were infected a few
days after receiving their second dose. That’s a reminder that the vaccines currently
being offered don’t fully protect people from the virus, even seven days after the
second dose. Dr Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate said the staff at the
quarantine hotel probably weren’t vaccinated: “Most hotel workers are in age groups
that haven’t been vaccinated yet, but we don’t have a full overview yet.”

***Norway’s southern city of Kristiansand was shut down again this weekend, after
new outbreaks of the Corona virus. Gyms, swimming pools, cinemas, museums,
theaters and the local university were closed. Bars and restaurants were ordered to
stop serving alcohol, meaning many of them were likely to close, too. The leader of a
local business organization called it “a catastrophe for the city,” which is a popular
tourist destination especially in the summer months. The city’s chief medical o�cer
said residents “need to view this as two more weeks of strict measures and then
summer will be here, many more will be vaccinated and we’ll be better prepared,”
hopefully for a reopening from June 12.

***Working from home is more popular than many thought, at least in Norway. A new
study shows that more than 60 percent of Norwegians still want to work often from
home even after Corona containment measures are dropped. The study, conducted
by researchers at Oslo Metropolitan University at the request of Norway’s Labour
Ministry, showed that 30 percent want to work from home at least two days a week,
21 percent opted for one day and 14 percent wanted three to four days. Only 5
percent never want to have to work from home again, while another 5 percent want to
work from home all the time. The remaining 25 percent, who clearly missed their
colleagues, opted for just one day a month at home or less.

The results surprised Labour Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, who told state
broadcaster NRK that he thought Norwegians were tired of working from home. Now
his ministry wants to change some rules, to clarify liability for work-related injuries at
home, how much responsibility employers have for working conditions, equipment
and the psycho-social milieu, and other work-related issues. “Home o�ces can’t be a
lawless zone,” Isaksen said.

Home o�ces also have lots of climate and environmental advantages, because of
the reduced need for commuting. Many respondents also felt they worked more
e�ciently at home, were subject to less interruptions and enjoyed more �exibility in
daily life. Many also worked more than they did otherwise, for better or worse,
perhaps because it was easier head back into the home o�ce after dinner.

***Infection continues to spread in the northern city of Hammerfest, with parents in

the 40- to 60 age group who aren’t fully vaccinated yet being infected by their
children. “I’m worried, I have to honestly admit that,” Hammerfest Mayor Marianne
Sivertsen Næss told state broadcaster NRK on Friday. Another 37 residents received
positive Corona test results on Friday, bringing the current total to 259 in a city with a
population of just 11,000. Few, however, are seriously ill.

***Almost the entire population of Svalbard, the Arctic archipelago controlled by

Norway, has now been vaccinated. Nearly 3,000 people live in Svalbard, around 2,400

of them in the main city of Longyearbyen. It can now boast that 90 percent of all
residents over age 18 are fully vaccinated, the equivalent of 75 percent of the total
population. Svalbard was given priority distribution of the vaccine sent to Norway,
because any virus outbreak in the isolated community would have been di�cult to
handle.

***Trondheim is battling an outbreak of the British strain of the Covid-19 virus that’s
left the city with its highest infection levels since January. Some of the infection has
been tied to use of the same entry door into a residential building, showing how easily
and quickly the British mutation can spread. After low levels of infection in recent
months, it’s spiked since the long Ascension Day- and 17th of May holiday weekend.
Nearly 300 new cases of the virus have been registered since, 39 on Thursday alone:
“Analyses from St Olavs Hospital show that it’s all the British variant,” Trondheim’s
chief medical o�cer, Dr Tove Røsstad, told state broadcaster NRK.

Many of those infected live in the same apartment building, but had no social
connection otherwise. Trackers of the source of infection could determine, however,
that they’d all used the same entry door. That prompted Røsstad to stress the
importance of hand hygiene: “Wash your hands when you come indoors,” she urged.
“Such basic rules are more important than ever.” Local o�cials are mostly blaming “a
bit too much socializing” on the 17th of May, after at least 54 of those infected had all
been at the same nightclub in Trondheim. The increased infection forced o�cials to
restrict the serving of alcoholic beverages and order use of face masks in all public
places. Social contact is limited to �ve people a week, and only two guests at home.

***Norwegian border control measures will remain strict, the government con�rmed
on Wednesday, with everyone expected to undergo up to 10 days of hotel quarantine
at their own expense with few exceptions. Only those arriving from European
countries with low infection rates will be able to go through quarantine at home. “I
understand that this is complicated, but the goal is to avoid imported infection,”
Justice Minister Monica Mæland said at a government press conference Wednesday
afternoon. She stressed that work was continuing on a proposed “Corona passport”
that will allow Norwegians who’ve been fully vaccinated to travel within Europe and
be exempted from quarantine upon arrival back in Norway. The new document may
be available before the EU offers its own version, expected around July 1.

Anyone arriving in Norway from outside the EU, the European Economic Area or
Great Britain will still be subject to hotel quarantine for the full 10 days, unless they
deliver a negative test result after seven days. Those arriving from European
countries with infection rates higher than 150 per 100,000 must stay in a quarantine
hotel until they have delivered a negative test result after three days at the earliest.
Then they must carry out the rest of the 10-day quarantine period at home or another

suitable location.

***Norwegian students who’ve been studying abroad will no longer have to pay their
portion of 10-day hotel quarantine costs, currently NOK 500 per day. The government
will now pick up the full cost of the hotel stay when they return home to Norway for
summer holidays. “I understand that it can be di�cult for students to take the bill for
the quarantine hotel,” Justice Minister Monica Mæland announced on Wednesday.
“I’m glad we can present this solution.” Asked at a government press conference
whether foreign students studying in Norway will also be exempted from the hotel
quarantine costs, Mæland replied with a “clear ‘no.'” They’ll still have to go through
quarantine and pay for it themselves, until the infection situation has eased to the
point when hotel quarantine will be dropped entirely.

***Norway’s vaccine allotments are being reshu�ed yet again, after new
calculations by health authorities indicated that some municipalities would have to
give up more than 35 percent of the doses they were due to receive. That’s
unacceptable, the government agreed, meaning that 24 areas in and around Oslo will
now get fewer extra doses. The state had announced a vaccine reallocation earlier
this month, aimed at sending more doses to Oslo and other nearby municipalities
with the highest infection rates in the country. All were due to get 60 percent more
doses. Now they’ll get 45 percent more than originally allocated, with Health Minister
Bent Høie stressing that more doses are also on the way to the country as a whole.

The leader of Oslo’s city government, Raymond Johansen, was disappointed, not
least since the city is �nally allowing bars, restaurants, cinemas, museums and other
public places to reopen this week. He’d counted on more Oslo residents getting
vaccinated, but now there’s a bigger chance infection rates will rise. “This isn’t good,”
he told news service Avisa Oslo. Høie, however, stressed that both Oslo and the
country as a whole should be able to tolerate a gradual and controlled reopening,
especially since border control remains strict in an effort to keep out imported
infection. “We’re less vulnerable now,” Høie said, adding, however, that “we still need
to keep infection levels low.”

***Norwegian health authorities are suddenly recording another increase in

con�rmed cases of the Corona virus, and said the “trend was rising.” O�cials
admitted they’d “lost control” of an outbreak in the northern city of Hammerfest,
stores and restaurants had to close again in Hamar, Trondheim was facing a new
closure and the number of cases also rose slightly in Oslo. Hammerfest has a
population of 11,000 and has in recent years been home to an expanding oil and gas
industry. It went into lockdown heading into the long holiday weekend and is now
dealing with its biggest virus outbreak so far. Locals were also furious on Tuesday
that lists identifying those who’ve tested positive were circulating on social media.

Police were called in to investigate the apparent leak of sensitive information.

Hammerfest’s infection rate is now the equivalent of 1,400 per 100,000 residents,
which is why it’s viewed as so serious. Farther south in Hamar, located between Oslo
and Lillehammer, the numbers are much lower but high enough that local o�cials
also ordered a social closure. While large areas of Norway are preparing for a
reopening, the opposite may occur in Trondheim, where the city and its large student
population have seen a rise in infection since the 17th of May holiday weekend.
Thousands were in line to be tested. Norwegian authorities registered a total of 238
new cases nationwide from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday, 37 more than last
Monday. The average for the week was 450 new cases per day, up from 354 the week
before, so the trend was classi�ed as “rising.”

***Even though most of Norway is poised to start reopening, the sports club behind
the country’s large international football tournament have decided to cancel Norway
Cup for the second year in a row. All the restrictions and limitations that would still be
necessary to prevent the spread of virus infection would have spoiled the experience
for the children and youth participating, according to Bækkelagets Sportsklubb.
There’s also still lots of uncertainty over whether borders will reopen by late July,
when Norway Cup has traditionally attracted as many as 30,000 young football
players. Organizers now look forward to mounting a major comeback in the summer
of 2022, when the tournament is due to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

***The Norwegian government is moving forward with its plans to reopen the
country after 15 months of strict Corona containment measures. Residents will soon
be able to drink alcoholic beverages until midnight without having to also order food,
for example, but travel restrictions will remain in place until at least July 1. Stricter
local measures can override state rules, but the country as a whole is on its way
towards a return to normality because of lower infection levels, fewer hospitalizations
and ever-rising vaccination rates. Even Oslo, which has been shut down since early
November, announced reopening plans on Friday. They’re not as liberal as the new
national rules, but restaurants and bars can at least reopen from Wednesday May 26,
along with museums, cinemas, theaters and other gathering places.

The new national rules (external link to the government’s website, in Norwegian) will
apply from Thursday May 27, Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced at a midday
press conference Friday. They involve all of the second step of opening plans
announced earlier including getting schools and day care centers back to normal
operation. Rules that restricted all unnecessary travel have now become
“recommendations,” meaning that Norwegians can travel more freely around Norway
again.


Controversial hotel quarantine rules will remain in place, however, for all travelers
arriving from abroad, also Norwegians returning home. They’ll be eased somewhat,
though, for those arriving from EU/European Economic Area countries where
infection levels have declined to 150 per 100,000 residents – currently only Iceland,
Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Visitors and returning Norwegians from such low-
infection European nations will be able to spend their minimum seven-day quarantine
period at home or at another suitable location.

***Norway’s northen city of Hammerfest was back in lockdown on Friday, just as

plans were being announced to reopen other parts of the country. The reason: An
outbreak of the Corona virus that’s been linked to partying teenagers and young
adults in both private homes and a local nightclub during the past two weekends. All
schools, day care centers, libraries, stores and other public gathering places were
closed. Only grocery stores, the local Vinmonopolet and pharmacies were open
heading into Norway’s last three-day weekend until Christmas.

***The southern coastal cities of Larvik and Kristiansand, both popular holiday
destinations, were also cracking down on Corona virus outbreaks heading into
Norway’s Pinse (Pentecost) holiday weekend. Kristiansand recorded 85 new
con�rmed cases of the virus on Friday, 50 of them high school graduates known as
the partying russ. Larvik’s outbreak was tied to similar recent outbreaks in nearby
Skien, Porsgrunn and Bamble. Vestfold and Telemark, where all are located, are now
the regions with the most Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents (243), with the British
strain of the virus dominating the statistics. Several hundred people are in quarantine.

***Complaints rolled in quickly after Health Minister Bent Høie announced another
geographic re-allocation of vaccine in Norway. The goal is to deliver more vaccine to
24 municipalities in the southeastern region around Oslo, where infection remains
highest, but that will come at the expense of 309 other municipalities around the
country and they’re not pleased. “This will affect the entire region and make us more
vulnerable,” complained the leader of the city government in Bergen, which won’t have
to give up any vaccine itself but neighbouring communities will. The mayors of Larvik,
southwest of Oslo, and Sandnes, just south of Stavanger, were also disappointed
upon learning that they’ll be losing vaccine doses.

Høie, however, is following the professional recommendation of public health

institute FHI, which urges an increase in the vaccination tempo in and around Oslo.
It’s long been the epicenter of the pandemic in Norway and is also the country’s
largest population center. FHI recommended that 23 of the country’s other cities
(including Bergen, Kristiansand, Trondheim and Tønsberg) retain their current
allocations, while the 309 others will be getting roughly a third of what they initially
were promised. Høie countered the complaints by claiming how vaccinations of more

people in the country’s largest population centers will allow the entire country to
reopen more quickly after 15 months of strict Corona containment measures. He also
stressed that Norway is due to receive “a lot more” vaccine in June and July, as hopes
rise that the Corona crisis will wind down by late summer (see below).

***Pandemic and vaccine skeptics have been bombarding Norwegian o�cials all
over the country with critical and even threatening emails. Many are written in poor
Norwegian or English, contain much the same content and are clogging the o�cials’
in-boxes and interfering with other work. “I want to say to anyone thinking about
sending more such mail, that I have taken the point,” Tønsberg Mayor Anne Rygh
Pedersen told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. “You don’t need to send 150
more.” The mayor of Porsgrunn, which is emerging from an outbreak of the Corona
virus, said he’s also been a target of mail that claims the Corona virus doesn’t really
exist, that Corona tests are false and that vaccine is part of a conspiracy. One mail
alone was a 100-page letter that ba�ed a top o�cial in a small municipality in
Northern Norway. It was also sent to 406 other state and local o�cials on Norway’s
Constitution Day holiday on the 17th of May. Freedom of expression and public
procedures demand that all mail must be registered and taken seriously. A lawyer for
Norway’s national municipal association, however, noted that the mail doesn’t need to
be answered beyond a standard reply that it was received and added to the public
journal.

***Former Finance Minister Siv Jensen, who recently stepped down as leader of the
conservative Progress Party, faces �nes after admitting that she violated Corona
containment measures during a party at her mother’s home on the 17th of May. She’s
the latest top Norwegian politician to break anti-infection rules and apologize
profusely afterwards. “I’m so sorry about this,” Jensen told TV2, after admitting that
more than 10 people had gathered at her mother’s home to celebrate Norway’s
Constitution Day on Monday. She said that of the 13 people present including herself,
�ve had been vaccinated: “We weren’t aware that the new health rules allowing
exemptions for people protected from the virus don’t apply in Oslo.”

Oslo police will now investigate and determine whether charges and �nes will be
lodged against Jensen and other party guests, as they were against Prime Minister
Erna Solberg after her less-than-happy 60th birthday party in February. Jensen told
TV2 that “if we’re �ned, I’ll of course pay.” A law professor at the University of Bergen
doubts there are legal grounds to punish Jensen and other guests, though, telling
NRK on Wednesday that Oslo o�cials didn’t present good enough reasons for not
following the national guidelines.

***Trondheim has recorded its highest number of new Corona virus cases since mid-
January. Two known outbreaks resulted in 18 people being con�rmed on Tuesday

with the virus and many others forced into quarantine. “We’re seeing a considerable
increase in infection,” local o�cial Morten Wolden told state broadcaster NRK
Wednesday morning. National infection levels continue to decline, however,
maintaining hopes that the Norwegian government will continue with a cautious
reopening of the country.

***Norwegian owners of holiday homes over the border in Sweden have been back in
court, to demand and defend their right to �nally be able to visit and stay at their own
properties. They’ve effectively been banned from going to their  hytter since the
Corona crisis began 14 months ago, since strict quarantine rules upon return still
make overnight stays all but impossible. Calls are now going out for state o�cials to
“have more con�dence” in the roughly 12,400 Norwegian owners of Swedish hytter
who simply want to regain access to much-loved retreats. At present, they’re still only
allowed short day trips to perform what’s considered “necessary maintenance.” The
hytte owners prevailed at the Oslo County Court, which agreed the Swedish hytte ban
was far too invasive, but the state appealed the hytte owners’ victory, claiming state
o�cials must continue to have full power to make rules in line with the infection
situation. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) editorialized that the state’s appeal
“can hardly be based on any real fear of a dramatic increase in Corona infection if
some Norwegians cross the border to paint their hytter in Sweden.” At issue is
con�dence in the authorities, and in this case, a 14-month ban on hytte use can seem
unreasonable. Even o�cials at the state health directorate and public health institute
FHI have said that visits of up to 72 hours won’t increase the infection risk. FHI
believes that infection risk is minimal if the Norwegian hytte owners travel in their
own car and refrain from contact with any others. Norway’s borders, however, remain
mostly closed after the government was criticized for failing to control imported
infection. DN editorialized, however, that “it seems much too strict to put hytte
owners in the same category as all others coming over the border.”

***The pandemic will be over in August, at least in Norway, predicts Dr Preben

Aavitsland of the state public health institute FHI. He thinks it’s time to offer an
optimistic message, just as most Norwegians were trying to celebrate their second
national day on Monday amidst lots of ongoing restrictions. “Things are going in the
right direction now,” Aavitsland told newspaper Aftenposten during the weekend prior
to Monday’s annual 17th of May holiday. It was all but washed out in Southern
Norway because of rain and Corona restrictions, but “in two-and-a-half months, it (the
Corona crisis) will be mostly over,” believes one of FHI’s top o�cials.

Aavitsland cited “extremely effective vaccines” and the vast majority of Norwegians’
“widespread willingness to get vaccinated.” With most Norwegians expected to be
fully vaccinated by August, he doesn’t think there will be much infection left in
Norway. Cases that do pop up, he said, are unlikely to be serious. The pandemic has

dragged on much longer than initially expected and Norwegian o�cials have
continued to impose strict Corona containment measures. Aavitsland doesn’t think
there will be a need to restrict the numbers of people allowed to gather outdoors in
public by the end of summer. “I think the situation will be like it was in the good old
days,” Aavitsland told organizers of an annual political gathering in his hometown of
Arendal. Restrictions may continue to apply to indoor events, though, depending on
the infection status.

***18-year-olds in Oslo will be able to get vaccinated from the �rst week in June,
reports newspaper Aftenposten. It wrote during the weekend that young residents of
the capital are already getting text messages from the city saying it’s possible to start
booking vaccination appointments. All Norwegians aged 18-24 have been moved to
the top of the vaccination list, since infection rates have been highest among them
and because the government altered its vaccination program last week. The youngest
adults can now be vaccinated at the same time as the 40-44 age group, leaving those
aged 25 to 39 last. Oslo is also getting more vaccine because it’s consistently been
the epicenter of the Corona virus in Norway.

***Prime Minister Erna Solberg defends her government’s decision to go along with
health authorities’ advice and send more Corona vaccine to regions where infection is
highest. It means other regions will get less, but Solberg insists that will bene�t the
entire country. The reallocation announced last week has sparked fury among some
mayors of towns and cities that now will receive less vaccine. Mayors in Vestfold and
Grenland, where infection suddenly has spiked, are mostly from the rival Labour Party
but also include one from her own Conservative Party that gathered over the
weekend for its annual national meeting. Solberg admitted on Friday that the vaccine
reallocation was “a di�cult decision to make.” She believes, however, that the
evaluations and recommendations made by state public health institute FHI
(responsible for Norway’s vaccine program) will help allow the country to reopen as
planned. The reallocation of vaccine, she told NRK, is important for bringing Norway
out of the Corona crisis.

***Health authorities in Bergen have con�rmed eight new cases of the new Indian
strain of the Corona virus that’s been sickening and killing thousands of people in
India. The new cases in Norway are all tied to a relatively small outbreak at the
University of Bergen. Local o�cials believe they have control over the outbreak,
reports newspaper Bergens Tidende. The outbreak stems from an employee at the
university who infected four colleagues and a few other close contacts. All were
ordered into quarantine or isolation. University o�cials reported that none of their
employees has been on any work-related trips to India.

No further information was provided as to how the university employee was �rst

infected. O�cials at both Norway’s state health directorate and public health institute
FHI were following the situation in Bergen closely, since the Indian strain is believed
to be even more contagious than the British strain that was largely behind Norway’s
recent third wave of infection. Dr Espen Nakstad of the health directorate has earlier
expressed concern that outbreaks of the Indian strain can threaten Norway’s re-
opening plans (see below).

***The entire crew on board a ship carrying iron ore was in quarantine in the
northern city of Narvik’s harbour on Wednesday, after an outbreak of infection that
has left one person dead. State broadcaster NRK reported that o�cials from
Norway’s maritime directorate had boarded for a routine inspection while the IVS
Pebble Beach, which had arrived from Rotterdam on May 5, was waiting for docking
space in Narvik, a major port for iron exports. The inspectors were unaware of the
infection on board but were wearing face masks and other protective gear. Both have
since tested negative for Covid-19 but maritime o�cials are now investigating why
the directorate had not been informed of illness on board in advance. The Filipino
crew later raised a yellow �ag, signalling infection on the ship. One crew member was
declared dead on Tuesday but results of Covid-19 testing undertaken Wednesday
morning were pending. A total of 21 people were in quarantine as of Wednesday
afternoon.

***Oslo o�cials won’t be opening up the Norwegian capital much further until at
least May 27, city government leader Raymond Johansen announced late Tuesday.
High schools will be able to ease some of their restrictions from May 18th but
restaurants, cafés and bars must remain closed, along with exercise studios, cinemas
and other gathering places.

***Norway’s strict new quarantine rules for most everyone arriving from outside the
EU and Schengen areas are causing problems for top athletes during the run-up to
the Olympics. The mandatory 10 days in a quarantine hotel upon return to Norway
will spoil their training programs, meaning that several will need to drop out of
competitive events abroad. Track and �eld stars Jakob and Henrik Ingebrigtsen, for
example, may need to withdraw from the Diamond League opening event in England
on May 23, since England is now outside both Schengen and the EU. “If these new
(quarantine) rules aren’t changed, none of my boys can travel abroad to compete,” the
brothers’ trainer and father Gjert Ingebrigtsen told state broadcaster NRK on Tuesday.
Another athlete, Hedda Hynne, is also evaluating whether to drop competition in Doha
on May 28.

There’s a lot of frustration because of the new rules, con�rmed Erlend Slokvik, head
of Norway’s track and �eld federation (Norsk Friidrettsforbund). He told NRK that
both athletes and their coaches are upset because “they can’t sit for 10 days in a

quarantine hotel where they wouldn’t be able to follow their training programs,”
Slokvik said. “It’s impossible.” Missing key pre-Olympic competition is also highly
unfortunate since it’s part of the quali�cation process for the Olympics, which also is
at risk because of high infection levels in Japan. Norway’s national athletics
federation is asking the Justice Ministry to allow top athletes to spend their
quarantine time in their own homes or another suitable location. The government has
so far refused to offer any exemptions from the mandatory hotel quarantine imposed
as of May 9. (The government ended up dropping the hotel quarantine rule for
arrivals from the UK … click here for more details.)

***Young Norwegians aged 18 to 25 should be allowed to move to the front of the

Corona vaccination line, according to a government commission. It thinks that could
help prevent further spread of the virus, outbreaks of which lately have been linked to
gatherings of partying high school graduates called russ (see below). “Summer and
looming holidays away from school make it wise to vaccinate youth to hinder spread
of the virus,” said commission leader Dr Lars Vorland on Monday, while also
presenting the commission’s recommendation to remove the AstraZeneca and
Johnson & Johnson vaccines from Norway’s state vaccination program. “We think it’s
a good idea (to vaccinate young Norwegians before older ones).” Vorland also noted
that college-age Norwegians are among the most mobile members of society,
especially in connection with the end of the school year and moving home, to new
jobs or to other schools. It’s ultimately up to public health institute FHI, which runs
the state vaccination program, and the government to decide whether young
Norwegians should have priority over the age groups now getting vaccinated (those
in their late 50s-early 60s). “We’ll make a decision on whether the 18- to 25-year-olds
should move forward in the queue,” said Health Minister Bent Høie, “but we’ll wait for
a more thorough evaluation from FHI.”

***Election o�cials in Oslo are planning for drive-thru voting in the Norwegian
capital, if the pandemic prevents voters from casting their ballots as usual in the
upcoming Parliamentary election this fall. No one knows what kind of restrictions will
still be in place by election day on September 13. “The goal is, of course, to make
sure that everyone has an opportunity to vote, also if you’re in quarantine or sick and
in isolation,” Oslo Mayor Marianne Borgen told newspaper Dagsavisen. She leads the
election board and added that among means of ensuring such opportunity is drive-
thru voting, “so that folks can sit and vote inside their own vehicles.” She’s hoping,
though, that infection levels will have fallen by then, while the numbers of those
vaccinated will have risen.

***It’s o�cial: Another of Norway’s most popular summer music festivals,

Øyafestivalen, has been cancelled because of Corona-related restrictions. “This feels
like a nightmare,” stated Øya chief Tonje Kaada just before the weekend. The festival,

due to take place at Tøyen in Oslo from August 10-14, has been cancelled for the
second year in a row. Kaada cited “too much uncertainty” about the framework for a
festival and limits set even by the “best case scenario” that would allow 5,000 people
to attend. Those holding tickets can use them next year at a 2022-version of the
festival already in the works.

***Norwegian o�cials fear the Indian strain of the Corona virus can threaten the
country’s reopening plans. Both the state health directorate and public health institute
FHI cite the “exponential” spread of the deadly Indian strain, which indicates it’s even
more contagious than the British strain. In a new recommendation sent to the health
ministry, the health professionals urge the government to make hotel quarantine
obligatory for everyone traveling into Norway from countries outside Europe. The
quarantine should be mandatory, they argue, regardless of whether the travel is
necessary. The Indian strain is already spreading in Europe as well, however, with FHI
noting that cases of it are doubling every week in Great Britain. There are also fears
that existing vaccines won’t be as effective against it. British o�cials are working to
prevent the Indian strain from gaining a foothold, with rapid and door-to-door testing.

***Norway seems to have eradicated the South African strain of the Corona virus
that was infecting as many as 100 people a week or more in early March. That’s when
it peaked, and there are hardly any signs of it in Norway now. A total of 769 people in
Norway have tested positive to the South African mutation, which was viewed as
highly contagious and blamed for worsening the country’s third wave of infection.
Only two cases of it were con�rmed in early May, however, one in Oslo and one in the
northern county of Troms og Finnmark. “That can indicate,” writes public health
institute FHI, “that the infection chain of this virus variant has been broken in
Norway.” That’s good news, tied to what appears to be persistent tracking of the
strain that hindered its spread. Those testing positive for it are also being hailed for
following infection control rules and going straight into quarantine.

***Norway’s tradition of hosting various summer music festivals around the country
is under threat again because of the Corona virus. Organizers of the popular OverOslo
festival, featuring magni�cent views over the city from its venue in the hills at
Grefsen, cancelled the event on Wednesday. So did organizers of the Stavern Festival
in the maritime town southwest of the capital: “There was unfortunately no way
around” the decision, festival leader Ole Christian Mørk told newspaper VG. The Øya
and Palmesus festivals may be scrapped as well, because of ongoing uncertainty
over whether they can be held given all the ongoing restrictions on travel, assembly
and the serving of food and drink.

***Hopes remained that the huge Norway Cup annual football tournament can still
be held in late July. If so, however, it will not be the international event it’s meant to

be, with children’s and youth football teams from all world participating. Both the
Dana Cup in Denmark and Gothia Cup in Sweden have already been cancelled, but
organizers are hoping at least Norwegian teams can meet to compete in Oslo from
July 31 to August 7. “We’re crossing our �ngers that we’ll be in a situation that will
make it possible,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg said this week, “but it would have to
have a very good infection control regime.” Norway Cup was cancelled last year.

***Norway may soon hold its �rst “test concerts” with as many as 30,000 people
participating in the experiment to monitor infection risk. The state public health
institute FHI will carry out Corona tests of all participants, to see whether going to a
large concert can be just as safe as watching TV at home. Researchers at FHI
(Folkehelseinstitutt) are proposing such concerts, with around 5,000 people in the
audience at each, to be held in June. There would be no social distancing demands
among concert-goers nor would participants have to wear face masks. Plans call for
recruiting 30,000 members of the public who’d like to go to a concert. Only half would
actually attend the concerts, while the other half would live normally. All both
attending and staying home would be tested before and after the concerts are held,
allowing researchers to compare how many may become infected with the Corona
virus in the control groups and then determine whether attending such concerts
increases the risk of infection. It hasn’t been decided where the concerts would be
held or who would perform, but they’re likely to be indoor venues in Oslo, where
infection has been highest. Those attending will likely be aged 18 to 30 or 40 and all
would need to certify that they have no underlying health problems or risk factors. A
regional health ethics committe and state health authorities will decide whether the
project can proceed.

***Norway’s business and trade minister is quarreling with Oslo’s government leader
Raymond Johansen over her government’s plans to allow more businesses to bring in
foreign workers. Johansen fears they’ll bring more imported infection with them,
while Trade Minister Iselin Nybø claims he’s painting an undeservedly poor picture of
foreign workers. Nybø told newspaper Aftenposten that only 1 percent of those
testing positive in Oslo have been infected abroad, while Johansen counters that 90
percent of all infection in Oslo involves the British strain that initially came from
abroad. She’s concerned about all the businesses who’ve gone months without
access to the labour force they need. Johansen counters that the state should
mobilize laid-off Norwegians to step in for the foreign workers. Employers and
farmers who use cheaper foreign workers contend that’s not always easy.

Oslo has remained mostly closed while other areas of Norway have opened up.
Johansen, from the Labour Party, is under pressure to at least allow stores to reopen
soon, as merchants complain they’re losing business to stores open just outside the
city limits. Johansen is most concerned with keeping infection levels low and under

control. Nybø, a member of Norway’s Conservatives-led government, agrees the
infection situation means the country must continue to limit entry to Norway as much
as possible. “At the same time, the strong restrictions have considerable
consequences (on business) and we must try to maintain activity in Norwegian
companies in order to preserve jobs.”

***State oil & energy company Equinor was having to deal with Corona infection on
board one of its oil platforms in the North Sea on Monday. A worker tested positive
onboard the Gullfaks A, sending another 15 workers into quarantine. “The plan is to
�y the infected worker to land,” Equinor spokesman Morten Eek told newspaper
Bergens Tidende. All other air transport to the platform has been halted because of
the infection on board.

***Several organizations are worried Corona infection will spread again after another
weekend of parties and large gatherings of people that exceeded regulations,
especially in Oslo. The May 1st holiday on Saturday and graduating high school
students known as russ contributed to the excessive socializing. Police patrolled
gathering places such as the park at St Hanshaugen in Oslo, informing those
gathered that their numbers needed to be reduced. In the southern town Mandal,
around 600 people including the entire graduating class at Mandal High School were
in quarantine Monday after 11 russ tested positive to the Corona virus. The teenagers
were disappointed, their families also were quarantined and Mandal’s mayor said he
was disappointed over those who took part in “rolling” parties even though Corona
had forced cancellation of most weekend events.

“They think only about themselves and not all the others who have (underlying
health) problems and are especially afraid of Corona infection,” said Tor Eivind
Johansen, leader of Norsk Revmatikerforbund, which helps those with rheumatism.
Johansen stressed on NRK’s national radio Monday that contracting Corona can be
fatal for many who haven’t yet been vaccinated. The head of Norway’s diabetes
federatoin was also worried, and upset. “Most people with diabetes under age 60
have not been vaccinated,” Bjørnar Allgot told NRK. Many are still isolating
themselves, he said, for fear of infection.

***Bergen o�cials opted against easing Corona restrictions on Monday, offering

only some relief for children and youth. They’ll be allowed to once again take part in
indoor sporting events from Tuesday, including swimming lessons, but social contact
otherwise remains strictly limited. “I wish I had good news for everyone, but the
situation in Bergen unfortunately doesn’t allow that,” Roger Valhammer of the Labour
Party, which leads Bergen’s city government, said at a press conference Monday. He
stressed that infection levels in Bergen remained too high and he was disappointed
by lots of outdoor gatherings and parties during the weekend and a lack of social

distancing. “The big parties we’ve seen are not okay,” said Beate Husa of the Christian
Democrats, in charge of health issues in Bergen. “It’s irresponsible.”

***Police have issued NOK 40,000 in �nes to a couple in their 60s who refused to
stay at a quarantine hotel after arriving back in Bergen from a holiday trip to Spain.
They’re charged with violating infection control measures. They claimed they could
just as well spend their quarantine time in their own home, but prosecutor Laila
Skeide said their “unnecessary” trip abroad did not qualify for them for any
exceptions to the hotel quarantine regulation imposed on March 19. The man and
wife were thus �ned NOK 20,000 each (USD 2,400). So was a man in his 20s from
Førde who broke his obligation to remain in isolation after testing positive for the
Corona virus. He received several visitors while in isolation at home.

***Norway aims to get more people vaccinated by increasing the interval between
the �rst and second shots. The government is extending it from six to 12 weeks,
meaning everyone aged 18-45 will now be offered vaccine �ve weeks earlier than
planned. Health Minister Bent Høie said the government was acting on the
recommendation of public health institute FHI. “When we increase the interval, many
more people can get vaccinated earlier,” Høie stated in a press release issued Friday
afternoon. “That will help hinder both serious illness and death, and contribute
towards reducing infection in society.”

It also means more young people will be able to get their �rst shots beginning in mid-
to late July, instead of from late August. Infection has increased most among
Nowegians in their 20s and 30s. Earlier vaccinations can also help ward off new
infection waves after the summer holidays and when classes resume at high schools,
colleges and universities. The new intervals will take effect from May 3 but won’t
affect those who’ve already had their �rst shot and have appointments for their
second six weeks later. Those appointments will still be honoured. Those with
underlying illnesses or in high-risk groups will also continue to be offered
vaccinations six weeks apart.

***Expats in Norway from other European countries must be allowed to re-enter the
country, editorialized newspaper Aftenposten on Thursday. It was reacting to how the
government has suddenly tightened entry rules for those not holding long-term
residency permits in Norway, as a means of preventing imported Corona
infection. There have been several dramatic cases recently of EU and EEA (European
Economic Area) citizens who’ve been living and working in Norway being turned away
upon arrival, and sent back to their country of citizenship. The government is now
allowing entry or re-entry only to those with permanent residence permits and listed
in Norway’s Folkeregister.


That violates Norway’s trade agreement with the EU, claim several legal experts. EEA
citizens who live in Norway, they claim, should be treated just the same as Norwegian
citizens and permanent residents, and allowed entry. “It’s �ne that the government
has �nally tightened border control,” Aftenposten editorialized, “but the rules must be
the same for all. Those who live in the country must be able to re-enter after going
through quarantine and testing negative to the virus, whether they’re Norwegian or
from other EEA countries.” Justice Minister Monica Mæland, however, showed no
sign of remorse or sympathy with those who’ve been turned away when addressing
the issue at a press conference this week. She claimed that the new rules have been
adequately communicated and are necessary for infection control.

***Corona containment measures are being blamed for ongoing bureaucratic delays
in obtaining or renewing residence permits or acquiring citizenship in Norway. It’s
now taking as long as 10 months for immigration agency UDI to process citizenship
applications even after applicants have �nally had all their documents approved by
the police – a process that itself took at least another nine months last year. That
means thousands of expats �nally eligible for dual citizenship probably won’t be able
to vote in the upcoming national election in September despite starting what was
supposed to be a new “automated” citizenship process early last year.

Now Norwegians themselves are also facing long delays in obtaining or renewing
their own passports. Even though Norwegians may �nally be able to travel abroad
again this summer, many won’t have valid passports because it currently takes
months to get a passport appointment. The situation is also jeopardizing expats’
hopes of visiting family abroad if their residence permits are up for renewal. Police
o�cials claim they’re trying to “increase capacity” to process applications, but “we
have a large backlog of those who weren’t able to renew their passports last year
(when the Corona crisis began),” Lars Blomquist of the passport o�ce in Oslo told
newspaper Aftenposten.” Those needing new passports, he said, will just have to
follow the police website all the time, in the hopes more appointment slots may be
made available.

***Fully vaccinated Norwegians can now have more close contact with others who
also are fully vaccinated, Health Minister Bent Høie con�rmed on Wednesday, but
only in private homes. They’ll still have to observe all the same infection control
measures as everyone else when in public, including social distancing and use of
face masks. There wasn’t much liberalization of Corona rules at Wednesday’s latest
government press conference. Even though vaccines can hinder the spread of
infection, Høie claimed there’s still a risk and that’s why those vaccinated can’t have
too many privileges while out in public. They can have close contact with those
outside high-risk groups, however, so most grandparents can at least once again hug
their grandchildren, he said with a smile. He and Justice Minister Monica Mæland

stressed that Norway can’t reopen too soon or too quickly. He hopes the government
can allow stores, restaurants and some other public places to open during Step 2 of
the government’s reopening plan, perhaps sometime in late May.

Mæland also announced stricter entry requirements for everyone arriving in Norway
from India, Bangladesh, Iraq, Nepal and Pakistan because of high infection rates in
India that can spread to bordering countries. “The situation in India is extremely
serious,” Mæland said, raising the risk of imported infection and new virus mutations.
All arrivals face mandatory testing and must now spend at least 10 days in a
quarantine hotel. Norway, meanwhile, is in talks with Indian authorities over how it
can best help the country as it deals with its worst infection crisis so far.

***Retailers in Oslo are “deeply disappointed” by the city government’s decision to

keep all stores and shopping centers closed, especially when those in neighbouring
towns reopened this week. “When neighbouring communities have reopened for
shopping, this distorts competition and increases mobility,” Bjørn Næss of the local
retailing association (Oslo Handelsstands Forening) told newspaper Aftenposten.
“Many stores are sitting on large inventory, and it’s especially important that seasonal
wares can be sold. We are deeply disappointed that the city is still keeping stores and
restaurants closed.”

***Around 350 soldiers and civilian employees in Bodø are being mass tested this
week after an outbreak of the Corona virus tied to the defense community in the
northern Norwegian city. Nine new con�rmed cases of the Covid-19 have all been
traced to defense forces, with indications the infection was imported. Bodø’s chief
medical o�cer Dr Tor Claudi feared a new infection wave among military personnel.

***Seven Corona-related deaths have been registered in the past 10 days at

Akershus University Hospital (Ahus) just northeast of Oslo, reports local newspaper
Romerikes Blad. A hospital o�cial declined to comment further on the deaths, but it
brings Ahus’ total number of fatalities tied to Covid-19 to 60. There currently are 43
Corona patients admitted at Ahus, down from 70 earlier this spring, when some
patients had to be transferred to Oslo University Hospital because of a lack of
capacity at Ahus.

***Norway’s state reopening plan can probably proceed, says Dr Espen Rostrup
Nakstad of the state health directorate, since infection levels continue to decline
nationwide and the numbers of people vaccinated continue to rise. “We are
absolutely going in the right direction,” Nakstad told news bureau NTB on
Tuesday. Nakstad’s comments marked the second day in a row with optimistic
assessments from state health authorities (see below). Infection has also fallen for
the sixth week in a row in Oslo, prompting city government leader Raymond Johansen

to roll out his own “gradual” and “cautious” program to reopen the Norwegian capital.

The optimism is also shared by the general public, according to results of a public
opinion poll conducted by research �rm Opinion. Only 30 percent of those responding
think infection rates will rise again, while 40 percent think they’ll keep falling. The
remainder think infection levels will remain unchanged. Nora Clausen of Opinion told
NTB that all earlier polls have indicated that a majority of the public expected rising
infection levels. April’s poll marks the �rst time that wasn’t the case.

***”Now there’s reason to be optimistic,” Dr Bjørn Guldvog, head of Norway’s state

health directorate, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) during the weekend. He noted
that infection rates are falling while the numbers of those getting vaccinated are
rising. He expects most all Norwegian adults will be fully vaccinated by the end of
July. Guldvog, like most other health authorities in Norway, has been cautious about
getting Norwegians’ hopes up. They’ve been most keen on encouraging everyone to
keep following both state and local infection control measures, with local rules often
more restrictive. He made a point of noting that many remain infected around the
country. Infection rates have been highest in Oslo and the surrounding area. “But we
can look forward to good news in the weeks ahead,” Guldvog told NRK. “We expect to
get twice as much vaccine in May than we received in April. At the same time, we see
that infection levels nationwide are declining rapidly.” He noted that they’ve been cut
in half during the past month in both Oslo and Viken County.

***Police had another busy weekend all over the country, trying to control partying
Norwegians who weren’t following Corona containment measures. As many as 1,000
people gathered in the St Hanshaugen Park in Oslo, mostly in small groups but too
close together, Brian Skotnes of the Oslo Police District told state broadcaster NRK.
They were also violating laws against drinking alcohol outdoors: “It got so bad that
police had to break up parties and order people to leave.” O�cials have been worried
that warmer weather will tempt Norwegians to gather both outdoors and indoors for
spring parties. It was still cold and windy this past weekend over much of the country,
also in Oslo, but that didn’t stop one group of young people from hanging up balloons,
popping open champagne bottles and celebrating a birthday together. State
broadcaster NRK ran photos of the empty bottles left behind (external link to NRK’s
website).

***Norwegian residents born in other countries now account for around 60 percent
of all the Corona virus patients currently hospitalized. A majority have roots in South
Asia, and doctors suspect they are genetically more at risk of becoming seriously
ill. The latest report from state public health institute FHI indicates that immigrants
and their descendants in Norway are suffering most from the Corona virus. People
who have moved to Norway are also overrepresented in Covid-19 infection statistics.

Health o�cials have earlier noted that many immigrants are more at risk because
many live in densely populated areas and have large families or jobs that leave them
highly exposed to the general public. Some have also felt obliged to travel home, to
Pakistan or India, for example, and returned infected. Now some doctors at Oslo
University Hospital are also citing research that suggests genetic factors leaving
South Asians sicker if infected with Covid-19 or mutations. Many of those
hospitalized are also younger than the average age of Corona patients. Calls have
thus gone out to expand vaccination programs in areas with high immigrant
population, while the immigrants themselves are being urged not to travel to their
homelands. All face 14 days of quarantine upon return.

***As expected, Oslo city government o�cials opted against easing local Corona
restrictions this week. “Even though the numbers are going down, we had more than
1,100 new cases of infection in Oslo last week,” said city government leader Raymond
Johansen of the Labour Party. He said a new evaluation of restrictions will be made
next week.

***All Norwegians who have received their �rst dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will
now be offered either P�zer of Moderna for their second dose. Use of the
AstraZeneca vaccine remains suspended in Norway until at least May 10, when a new
evaluation of Astra Zeneca is due. “There’s a need to clarify second doses before the
evaluation is delivered,” Health Minister Bent Høie stated in a press release on Friday.
Around 135,000 people in Norway, most of them health care personnel, had been
vaccinated with AstraZeneca before it was removed from the vaccination program
because of several cases of serious and even fatal side-effects. Now many are due
for a second dose. The government is following advice from Norway’s public health
institute FHI, which now recommends that they all receive vaccine from either P�zer-
BioNTech or Moderna.

***Despite declining infection levels in Norway, there will be no further easing of

national restrictions in connection with Constitution Day celebrations on the 17th of
May. Areas with high infection levels will have even stricter local rules than those
applying nationwide. “We can’t let up now, therefore the national rules and
recommendations in place will also apply on the 17th of May,” government minister
Abid Raja con�rmed at the government’s press conference on Thursday. Any guests
invited home or to holiday homes will be limited to �ve, everyone must stay at least a
meter apart, outdoor arrangements are limited to 20 and to just 10 in rented
venues. Most 17th of May parades have already been cancelled, including the largest
in Oslo. The capital also has maintained rules that are stricter than the national ones,
with only two guests allowed in private homes. All socializing is still discouraged.

***Corona infection levels in Norway have declined by nearly half since they peaked

in mid-March, according to new data from public health institute FHI. That raises
prospects that the government will be able to proceed with its cautious reopening
program in May and restrictions may be eased even Oslo, which has had the highest
infection rates. Last week’s 3,717 new con�rmed cases of the Corona virus are down
43 percent from the same time last month. FHI also reported that 2.9 percent of
everyone tested last week were positive, down from 3.3 percent the week
before. Deaths are also down, from 21 during the �rst week of April to 18 last week
and �ve so far this week.

***Norway’s borders will remain mostly closed until at least May 12, the government
announced on Tuesday. Even though the third wave of infection has crested, with the
numbers of new Corona virus cases on the decline, government o�cials think it’s too
early to allow unrestricted entry into the country. “We all hope that we’ll continue to
see a descending curve in the infection situation,” Justice Minister Monica Mæland
stated in a press release. She added that the government is constantly evaluating
current restrictions and whether they can be eased. They concluded that the situation
remains too fragile to expose Norway to the risk of more imported infection. “We’re
still caught in a serious situation,” Mæland said. “It’s therefore necessary to extend
the strict entry rules.” Norway’s borders have been closed since January 29 with just
a few exceptions.

***After just recently easing Corona restrictions, Bergen is tightening them again.

City o�cials were not pleased that residents �ocked to newly reopened outdoor
cafés, restaurants, parks and private homes and partied without observing social
distancing, especially while standing in line for tables. Bars and restaurants have
already been subjected to controls and were ordered to enforce social distancing
when customers are waiting in line and place tables farther apart. If crowding
continues, warned city government leader Roger Valhammer of the Labour Party,
they’ll be forced to close again. Stricter rules were also directed at children and youth,
with all public swimming pools, amusement parks, bingo parlours, bowling alleys and
other places that attract youngsters closed again. The city also reduced the number
of guests allowed in private homes back down to two.

***Public health institute FHI con�rmed that Norway will receive an extra 1.18
million doses of the P�zer vaccine by the end of July. A total of nearly 2 million doses
will arrive by the end of August, meaning that “everyone will be vaccinated much
earlier” than expected, according to Geir Bukkholm of FHI. The extra doses will also
help offset the loss of AstraZeneca doses if they are permanently removed from
Norway’s vaccination program because of some serious side-effects. The
government recently postponed a decision on the use of AstraZeneca because of
how removal would slow Norway’s recovery from the Corona crisis. Norwegian
o�cials have, meanwhile, declined an offer from Russian o�cials to receive

deliveries of their Sputnik vaccine but only because Norway isn’t buying its vaccines
directly but rather through the EU, which hasn’t yet approved Sputnik for its program.

***Norwegian police were busy all over the country during the weekend, as the
state’s �rst phase of re-opening prompted lots of parties that were noisy and
exceeded limits on guests allowed in private homes. Warm spring weather also led to
outdoor gatherings where social distancing rules weren’t followed. State broadcaster
NRK reported Sunday that police handed out dozens of citations and �nes tied to
violations of Corona containment measures. The government started the �rst step of
its reopening program on Friday but it still contains lots of restrictions.

In Oslo, police broke up parties at Majorstua, Bekkelaget and Vindern, among other
places, and �ned a total of 33 people mostly in their 20s. Other parties were halted in
Trøndelag, Molde, Kristiansund, Bergen, Stord, Kirkenes, Hammerfest, Alta and
Troms. In Sørlandet along the southern coast, where the weather was especially
sunny and warm, partying started in the afternoon and continued after bars and
restaurants had to stop serving alcohol at 10pm. Police responded to complaints in
Kristiansand, Grimstad, Arendal, Flekkefjord and Farsund. In Vestfold and Telemark
the partying involved large gatherings of cars with festivities going on around
them. Outdoor cafés and restaurants, especially those along waterfronts, were
packed in Bergen, Arendal and many other coastal cities after they were allowed to
open and pour drinks until 10pm. Oslo and several cities in Viken County, however,
have continued their shutdowns because virus infection levels are still high.

***Norway was relieved by news Friday that it will be getting twice as many vaccine
doses as expected in July. P�zer will be delivering as many as 1.5 million doses,
instead of the 710,000 expected. The news comes just as the Norwegian government
continues to deliberate whether it should resume use of the AstraZeneca vaccine
(which has been linked to serious effects) or follow the state public health institute’s
recommendation to remove it from Norway’s state vaccination program. Another
510,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine are also expected in July, meaning that the
AstraZeneca vaccine may not be needed after all. “This is very good news, and very
good in terms of securing operations (of the vaccination program in Norway),” Geir
Bukholm of the state public health institute FHI told state broadcaster NRK. Extra
doses of the P�zer vaccine are also expected in June.

***No one is being �ned after a de�ant group hug at a demonstration against
Corona restrictions in Oslo last weekend. It attracted around 200 people who
criticized health authorities and de�antly burned faced masks, but police claimed it
was in line their democratic rights. The decision comes shortly after Prime Minister
Erna Solberg was �ned NOK 20,000 because 13 of her family members gathered to
mark Solberg’s 60th birthday at a dinner in Geilo that Solberg herself couldn’t attend.

Police nonetheless decided against �ning any of the demonstrators even though their
numbers exceeded local limits and they rejected social distancing.

“The arrangement was a political demonstration,” Harald Nissen of the Oslo Police
District told state broadcaster NRK, and thus not subject to Corona containment
measures. A law professor at the University of Tromsø con�rmed that it’s judicially
di�cult to deny anyone the right to demonstrate peacefully, even during a
pandemic. More demonstrations are planned in the weeks ahead, even after the
deaths of at least two people after an illegal gathering at Gran in Hadeland late last
month. All attending also opposed Corona restrictions.  At least a dozen others who
attended the event have tested positive to the virus. Many aren’t cooperating with
local authorities trying to track the infection and warn others who’ve been in contact
with the infected.

***Health authorities are now reporting a “sinking infection trend” around Norway,
as the spread of the Corona virus declined in many areas. The number of con�rmed
cases last week was down 6 percent from the week before and down 19 percent
from the week before that. Public health institute FHI reported that 3.3 percent of the
144,496 people tested last week were positive. That’s also much lower than during
the Easter holidays. Fully 72 percent of all infection, however, has been found in Oslo
and its surrounding Viken County, as calls escalated that those areas should be
allocated the largest numbers of vaccine doses.

***Faced with a looming shortage of vaccine in Norway, the head of an expert group
studying Corona’s economic impact is urging an extension of the period between the
�rst and second shots. That would allow more Norwegians to get their �rst shot, and
that can help prevent the spread of infection. Steinar Holden, a professor of
economics at the University of Oslo, leads the government’s panel that’s evaluating
the social and economic consequences of the Corona pandemic. He was responding
Wednesday to news this week that Norway likely won’t be receiving an expected 1
million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in June (see below) because of
concerns over its side-effects. Use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, meanwhile, remains
under suspension because of similar concerns.

“It will be even more important that the vaccine we do have is used in the most
e�cient manner,” Holden told state broadcaster NRK on Wednesday. Oslo,
meanwhile, is already allowing for six weeks between shots for those in low-risk
categories, up from two- to three-week intervals earlier in the year when elderly
Norwegians at higher risk were being vaccinated. “Studies show you can get good
protection from just the �rst dose,” Holden said. Holden is also urging state o�cials
to allocate more vaccine to areas with high infection and less to those with low
infection rates. That’s music to the ears of Oslo’s city government leader Raymond

Johansen, who called for more vaccine for Oslo on Wednesday. Oslo has had
Norway’s highest infection rates and is thus among areas, Holden notes, where
there’s more risk of residents becoming sick or even dying than elsewhere in the
country.

***Problems with the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine may delay completion of
Norway’s state vaccination program by as long as eight to 12 weeks, state health
authorities con�rmed on Tuesday. That means young Norwegians may not be able to
get their shots until well after the summer holidays. “It will slow the vaccine tempo if
the vaccine doesn’t arrive,” Line Vold of the state public health institute FHI said at a
press conference Wednesday. Around a million doses of the J&J vaccine (also called
Janssen in Europe) were expected to arrive in Norway in June. If the troubled
AstraZeneca vaccine remains on suspension, there will be “considerable” delays in
the vaccination program, Vold said. Prime Minister Erna Solberg seemed to downplay
the news Tuesday that Johnson & Johnson is delaying the introduction of its vaccine
in Europe after it was connected to blood clots and internal bleeding in some users in
the US. Such serious side-effects are what also prompted the AstraZeneca
suspension in Norway, even though it remains approved for use by the European
Medicines Agency.

***Long lines formed at the Covid-19 testing station in the northern city of
Bronnøysund on Tuesday after an outbreak of the virus at a construction site. At least
32 people were con�rmed infected and they had lots of close contacts, setting off
alarms in the city with a population of only around 8,000. “This is dramatic, children
are testing positive, too,” the local mayor, Eilif Trælnes of the Center Party, told state
broadcaster NRK. “There’s enormous pressure on our testing station.” The infection
was traced to the building site of the new state registry o�ce
(Brønnøysundsregistrene), and workers for its building �rm Veidekke. All of Brønnøy
municipality, which extends beyond the city limits, went into lockdown as of midnight
Monday.

***The city of Steinkjer in Northern Trondelag was under lockdown this week after
12 residents tested positive for a new California mutation of the Corona virus. It’s led
to a major outbreak in Steinkjer of the mutation that’s believed to be 20 percent more
contagious than the original Covid-19 strain. Three cases of it have been registered in
Norway earlier in the counties of Viken, Vestland and Oslo. A total of 36 people have
tested positive for Covid-19 during the current outbreak in the municipality of around
22,000 residents where infection had been very low until now. State broadcaster NRK
reported that around 2,500 people in Steinkjer are in quarantine.

***Corona-related restrictions are being eased in 55 municipalities around Norway

and more may be added to the list. There haven’t been many signs of a rise in post-

Easter infection, according to the state public health institute FHI, and the numbers of
new con�rmed Corona cases are now declining. O�cials are thus already letting
some restrictions run out on their expiry dates this week in 19 municipalities of the
large Viken County, six municipalities in Vestfold and Telemark and around the
Haugesund area, for example. O�cials in Halden, which runs along Norway’s
southern border to Sweden, are also reopening stores and several other public places
even though nearby Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad remain mostly under shutdown. So do
Oslo, Asker, Bærum, Drammen and Moss, all of which are expected to remain under
the strictest measures in the country. The government was planning to announce
more details regarding speci�c regulations later this week.

***Even strict Labour government leaders in Oslo are now arguing in favour of
allowing vaccinated residents to visit one another, travel and use public transport.
Opposition politicians want to go futher and open up stores, restaurants and other
activities to those who can con�rm immunity or vaccinations. “FHI (Norway’s public
health institute) reported during Easter that those who are vaccinated don’t infect
others,” Anne Rygg, leader of the Conservatives’ bloc on the Oslo City Council, told
newspaper Dagsavisen. “That must mean that they should be able to move freely in
society. It would be a good way to begin reopening the city.” City government leader
Raymond Johansen of the Labour Party isn’t so sure, noting it would give some
people preferential treatment and pose ethical dilemmas. As more and more people
get vaccinated, he thinks the problem will solve itself, with many restrictions due to
ease or disappear this summer. Norway’s overall “R-tallet,” which charts how many
people one person with Corona can infect others, also fell to 0.86 heading into the
weekend. Oslo continues to have the highest level of infection in Norway.

***Police in Nordland are dropping a case against eight Labour Party politicians who
gathered for a party of their own in a Bodø hotel room last month. The gathering
didn’t violate national Corona containment measures, prosecutors concluded, even
though Bodø itself had just recently tightened its anti-infection rules. The decision to
drop the case came on the same day that police in southern Norway announced they
were �ning Prime Minister Erna Solberg, leader of the Conservative Party, after her
husband invited 12 other family members to a dinner in Geilo to celebrate her 60th
birthday. That put them over the limit of 10 at the time but only Solberg herself was
�ned, even though she couldn’t attend the party because of an eye infection. The
Labour gathering, which included Labour’ deputy leader Bjørnar Skjæran, was found
to have fallen outside rules against gathering and drinking alcohol. It had already
been dropped by local police once before, but reopened on the request of state
prosecutors. Both Skjæran and other participants were questioned and he has
apologized for joining the “embarrassing” party, held after the Nordland Labour
chapter’s annual meeting. He and all the others have now avoided �nes that could
have amounted to at least NOK 10,000.

***Vaccination tempo is rising in Norway, despite suspension of the AstraZeneca
vaccine, and now calls are going out to allow top o�cials to get vaccinated even
though their age groups haven’t yet come up in the queue. “Give (Prime Minister Erna)
Solberg & Co vaccine,” read the headline on an editorial in Norway’s biggest
newspaper, Aftenposten, recently after some top aides to government ministers were
infected as was Oil Minister Tina Bru. “Good crisis leadership is critical, but Solberg
hasn’t been given priority in the queue,” editorialized Aftenposten, nor has Health
Minister Bent Høie, public health institute (FHI) leader Dr Camilla Stoltenberg or either
of the two top leaders of the state health directorate, Dr Bjørn Guldvog and Dr Espen
Rostrup Nakstad. “It’s �ne to maintain that politicians shouldn’t have privileges
(something Solberg has experienced �rst-hand) but it’s also important to have
leaders who won’t go down for the count. If it makes it more fair, let opposition party
leaders be vaccinated, too.”

***Even if Norway starts re-opening, Oslo residents likely face ongoing restrictions.
Infection levels in the capital remain high, and Oslo’s strict city government leader
Raymond Johansen doesn’t see much relief any time soon. “We’re far from any
reopening,” Johansen told news bureau NTB after Prime Minister Erna Solberg
revealed her government’s tentative reopening plans in Parliament this week. Solberg
herself con�rmed during her address that local restrictions will take precedence over
any national easing of the state government’s rules and recommendations. Johansen
has no plans to propose any reopening plans this week or next. “It’s wise that the
government hasn’t set any concrete dates for easing various measures,” Johansen
said. He doesn’t see much chance for a reopening until infection declines
considerably and lots more residents get vaccinated. Much more vaccine is expected
to be delivered over the next several weeks, though, and the city is moving ahead with
its vaccination program. The government’s goal is to vaccinate everyone over age 18
by the end of July.

***Norway surpassed 100,000 con�rmed cases of the Corona virus on Wednesday, a

dubious distinction that con�rms a recent rise in infection levels. It seems to have
levelled off, however, and reaction to Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s plans to control
infection and gradually ease restrictions was generally favourable. Jonas Gahr Støre,
leader of the Labour Party and the opposition in Parliament, was the �rst to respond
to Solberg’s address to Parliament on Wednesday. He thanked the prime minister and
noted that “we all share the hope” that the Corona crisis will soon ease. “People are
exhausted but patient,” Støre said, noting that even if Solberg’s four-step reopening
plan for Norway can proceed as normal, Norwegians still face many more weeks of
restrictions on everyday life.

Støre went on to claim, though, that the Norwegian government “must work to
acquire more vaccine,” ward off a fourth wave by improving border control, increase

testing capacity and improve programs to address new mental health problems
among both adults and children. Member of Parliament Trond Helleland, who leads
the parliamentary delegation for Solberg’s Conservative Party, responded that Norway
has done better than most other countries during the Corona crisis.  The main goal
now, he said, is to provide more predictability and offer real hope that some normality
will return during the summer.

***Never before has Bærum registered so many con�rmed cases of the Corona virus
as on Tuesday (April 6). The a�uent area just west of Oslo is seeing much more
infection within the age group 10-19, and among children. All day care centers were
closed on Tuesday but were reopening at the “red alert” level on Wednesday. Schools
have been closed with only home instruction offered to everyone over the �fth grade
since March 18. Infection has risen nonetheless, with 68 new cases logged on
Tuesday and 449 during the past two weeks. That’s the highest level since the
pandemic began and it comes even after fewer residents tested themselves during
the long Easter holiday weekend. Top health o�cials are tracking infection
developments closely this week, after the holiday period, to determine the need for
ongoing Corona containment measures.

***Health Minister Bent Høie is worried infection will now increase after the Easter
holidays, just like it did after summer, Christmas, New Year and winter school
holidays in February. It’s likely that national Corona containment measures will
continue beyond next week, when they were supposed to end. “We’ve had some
positive developments during Easter,” Høie said on Monday, but added that fewer
people were tested during the holiday period that began last Thursday and continued
through Monday. He urged everyone with even the slightest symptoms to get tested
this week. “It’s important in general, but now it’s extra important when we need the
best possible overview over the (Corona) situation,” Høie said, as Norway approached
100,000 con�rmed cases of the virus. Prime Minister Erna Solberg is due to report to
Parliament this week on her plans for eventually re-opening Norway, which
restrictions will need to stay in place, and for how long.

***There’s hope that Norway’s third wave of Corona infection will soon be cresting,
says Dr Espen Rostrup Nakstad of the state health directorate, after detecting
declines or at least stability in new numbers of con�rmed cases. He worries, however,
about prospects for spring parties and other social contact after the Easter
holidays. As the weather gets warmer “it will be easier to meet outdoors,” Nakstad
told news bureau NTB. That’s better than indoors, he notes, “but we fear there will be
too much socializing within age groups where infection levels are still high. That can
quickly lead to major outbreaks, because the virus mutations that dominate in
Norway and the rest of the world now are considerably more contagious than before.”


There already were signs of social gatherings during the Easter holidays, with
families and even large groups of young people seen gathering around camp�res
along skiing trails or outside hytter (cabins) in popular winter sports areas.
Restrictions against all social arrangements and having guests at home remain in
force until mid-April.

***”It’s an Easter miracle,” contends Dr Preben Aavitsland of Norway’s public health

institute FHI. He was referring to new studies in the US that show how both the P�zer
and Moderna vaccines not only protect those vaccinated from becoming infected by
the Corona virus but also prevent them from spreading it. “This is very positive,” said
Aavitsland, a soft-spoken man from Norway’s southern coast (Sørlandet) who’s
become a familiar face and voice in Norwegian media. “Since those vaccinated can
only to a small degree be infected, they they can’t infect others eithers,” he told state
broadcaster NRK as the long Easter holidays were beginning this week. “We can now
remove those vaccinated from the portion of the population who can contribute to
the pandemic.”

The studies from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) examined data based on
the vaccination of 4,000 American health care workers. Just one dose of the vaccines
offered 80 percent protection after two weeks or more, and 90 percent after the
second dose. The studies were done in cooperation with others conducted in Great
Britain and Israel. Aavitsland added that as more and more Norwegians are
vaccinated, the need for all the national rules and regulations now restricting daily life
can be reduced, some of them this spring. “This gives hope that we can soon put the
pandemic behind us,” he told NRK, also writing on social media that “the Easter
miracle came early this year.”

***All Norwegians over age 18 can now expect to be vaccinated by mid-July,

according to the public health institute FHI. That con�rms the government’s long-held
expectations that Norway will be getting back to normal during the course of the
summer. Geir Bukholm of FHI, which is responsible for Norway’s vaccination
program, now expects “only a short delay” of around two weeks in FHI’s vaccination
calendar. Most Norwegians in the age group 18-44 will probably also be fully
vaccinated by August because they’re slated to receive the single-dose vaccine from
Johnson & Johnson. It has said that around 52,000 doses will be delivered in April,
much less than the 310,000 expected but Bukholm said he’s con�dent the entire
shipment will show up. “We haven’t received any indications that the rest won’t be
delivered,” he told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Tuesday afternoon.

Vaccinations will continue through the summer holidays, Bukholm said, adding that
he hopes everyone will nonetheless accept the vaccination appointments they’re
offered. He and other state o�cials were disappointed when some Norwegians

declined vaccinations this week because they had other plans during the Easter
holidays, even at a time when Corona infection keeps rising. FHI
(Folkehelseinstituttet) has factored resumed use of the AstraZeneca vaccine into its
program calculations. The current suspension of AstraZeneca following serious side-
effects in some of those injected with it is expected to last for �ve weeks. Even if
that’s extended, Bukholm doesn’t expect it will delay the program by more than a few
weeks.

***Public health institute FHI has complained that several international airlines are
hindering their efforts to track infection among passengers on board the same
�ights. Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported that the airlines include Wizz Air,
Delta Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Pegasus. FHI �led an o�cial report of concern
with the state health directorate, in which FHI wrote that most airlines are helpful and
willing to help FHI track down passengers who may have been exposed to Corona
infectin. “Unfortunately there are some who never reply to our inquiries or reply much
too late,” FHI’s complaint read.

***State airports operator Avinor reported that a total of 8,663 people �ew to
international destinations from Norwegian airports during the weekend, even though
they face hotel quarantine upon return at their own expense. Most still wanted to take
advantage of Norway’s long �ve-day Easter holiday that o�cially begins on
Thursday. Many took off early, including a couple in their 70s who were heading, they
told state broadcaster NRK, as usual to the Canary Islands for sunshine and warmth.
They didn’t want to be interviewed on camera, though, by NRK, which had a reporting
crew Norway’s main gateway airport OSL Gardermoen as the holiday week began.
Others interviewed had moved to Norway from abroad and wanted to �y back to their
homelands to visit family.

This week also marks a major holiday- or pre-holiday period for many Norwegians
from the Middle East. The Persian New Year Nowrus was celebrated last weekend
and soon comes Muslims’ fasting period of Ramadan, with its Id celebrations on May
12. In Norway, all mosques, churches and other places of worship are either closed or
services have been cancelled. Others checking in for �ights were tempted by low
airfares, including one man from Poland who works in Norway and said he hadn’t
seen his children since last fall. Newspaper Aftenposten reported that others feel
pressure from family abroad to return home to visit elderly parents, for example.

All such travel is likely to be considered “unnecessary” by Norwegian authorities and

therefore subject to mandatory Corona testing and strict quarantine regulations when
they land back in Norway. That’s because of the high risk of more imported infection:
A recent survey by the state health directorate, for example, showed that 12 percent
of all passengers landing in Norway from Pakistan tested positive to the Corona

virus. State airports operator Avinor noted that around 2,000 people �ew to Poland,
around 1,000 to Germany and around 1,000 to the Netherlands. An estimated 500
�ew to Spain, with Avinor noting that total airline passenger tra�c was down 96
percent from Easter of 2019, the last such holiday period before the Corona crisis
began.

***A large annual gathering of partying high school graduates known as russ has
been cancelled. More than 15,000 had already bought tickets for   Landstreff
Stavanger, traditionally held in the amusement park Kongeparken, and organizers
claimed in a press release Monday (March 29) that they had kept hoping they could
hold the huge event. The Corona situation and its associated restrictions made that
impossible, they claimed. It’s the second year in a row that the annual russ event has
been cancelled because of the pandemic. All who have purchased tickets are eligible
for refunds.

***Lørenskog, located northeast of Oslo, has now registered the highest infection
rate in the country, according to new numbers from public health institute FHI: 890
infected per 100,000 residents during the past two weeks. Haugesund on Norway’s
west coast came in second, with 859.3 infected during the same period. There’s also
still a high rate of infection in Drammen and there’s been another death at the
hospital in Østfold.

***Authorities are opening an investigation into an unusually high rate of infection

and death at the Stabæktunet nursing home in Bærum, reports local newspaper
Budstikka. It started with an outbreak that left 36 elderly residents infected, and 10
later died from Covid-19.

***Norway will maintain its suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine until at least April
15. Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of the state public health institute FHI, said Friday
that she and her colleagues need more time to examine reports on possible side-
effects of the vaccine, some of them serious and even fatal. FHI (Folkehelseinstitutt)
suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 11, after six Norwegians who’d
been injected with it developed blood clots and internal hemorrhaging. Four have
since died, and doctors treating three of them at the national hospital in Oslo
reported they’d found a link between the vaccine and what made them so sick. All
were under age 55. Stoltenberg said she and her colleagues want to further probe
use and worrisome side-effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine and others in various age
groups.

The suspension has slowed the tempo of the entire national vaccination program
that FHI administers, because of a lack of other vaccines to replace it. If AstraZeneca
is once again offered, she added, it probably will also be reserved for older age

groups.

***Fully 10 percent of all Norwegian diplomats stationed abroad have been infected
by the Corona virus. Norway’s foreign ministry con�rmed the number to newspaper
Dagens Næringsliv (DN) this week, which compares to just 1.5 percent of residents of
Norway being infected. Some of the Norwegian diplomats have also been evacuated
from their posts and brought home to Norway in order to receive medical treatment,
according to ministry spokesperson Trude Måseide. The situation has been
demanding, because many of the diplomats are living and working in countries with
high infection rates, and with poorly developed health care systems. That’s now
prompted Norwegian o�cials to allow diplomats and their families to travel home to
Norway to be vaccinated if they can’t get vaccinated where they’re stationed.

Some diplomats, though, are stationed in countries with a higher vaccination tempo
than Norway. “I came from the US to Israel in September last year, and it was a big
difference,” veteran Norwegian diplomat Kåre Aas told DN. He was Norway’s
ambassador to the US for several years and now holds the same post in Tel Aviv,
where diplomats were included in the country’s massive vaccination program: “In the
course of three months they (the Israelis) have vaccinated 5.3 million of the
population of roughtly 9 million,” Aas told DN. He was fully vaccinated in January,
adding that “it was really a privilege to be included in their national vaccination
campaign.”

***Another Norwegian municipality is cracking down on the mobility of its residents.

Østre Toten in Innland County wants everyone to stay home through the Easter
holidays because of an increase in Corona virus infection, especially the British
mutation. The new measures will continue through the Sunday after Easter. “We’re
not so far from Viken County and Oslo, where infection is high,” Mayor Bror Helgestad
told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Tuesday. Local infection is also already
worrisome, with around 400 residents currently in quarantine.

The new rules may ruin Easter holidays for many who’d planned to head for the
nearby mountains. Østre Toten now requires use of face masks and wants to halt all
travel outside of the municipalities borders until at least April 11. Several others areas
are also tightening their rules ahead of the Easter holidays, in the hopes they won’t
lead to more infection. The popular skiing destination of Trysil doesn’t want anyone
to have more than �ve guests at their holiday homes (hytter), and if they’re coming
from Oslo or Viken, only two are allowed. Nord-Aurdal, another popular hytte
community in Valdres, is also limiting visitors and only wants one person from each
hytte to shop at local grocery stores, with a face mask.

***Finally some good news on the Corona front: For the �fth day in a row, the city of

Trondheim hasn’t registered a single new case of the Corona virus. At a time when
the rest of the country is seeing rising infection, Norway’s third-largest city with
around 200,000 residents seems to buck the trend. “I can hardly believe our numbers,
given so much infection elsewhere in the country,” Dr Tove Røsstad, chief medical
o�cer for Trondheim, told state broadcaster NRK. “It’s very nice, but we know this
can still turn around.” She’s hoping the locals will continue to be good about avoiding
any travel, testing themselves at the slightest suspicion of infection and following
measures to stop the spread.

***Norway’s tough Corona restrictions seem to be working, given a slight reduction

in reports of new cases and an infection curve that’s starting to �atten out. Dr Espen
Rostrup Nakstad of the state health directorate, however, said the overall picture is
mixed. “It looks like infection numbers are �attening out in some areas, but in other
areas, they’re rising,” Nakstad told state broadcaster NRK on Monday. The reductions,
meanwhile, aren’t enough to prompt health authorities and the government to ease
restrictions early. Most now in place are expected to remain in force until mid-April,
after the Easter holidays.

Rules may also toughen further, Nakstad warned, with social distancing going from a
recommended two meters to a mandatory two meters. Until now, the rules call for
Norwegians to remain at least a meter apart from those not living in their own
households. Infection rates remain high in Oslo and the surrounding Viken County.
They’ve also risen sharply in Ålesund on the northwest coast, prompting a lockdown
from Monday. Schools were closing in Tønsberg for everyone in the �fth to 10th
grades, with instruction to be conducted digitally instead. Many areas now require
face masks for everyone older than 12.

***Police in Geilo have started investigating whether Prime Minister Erna Solberg
and/or family members violated her government’s own Corona virus containment
measures, when marking her 60th birthay last month. Solberg and family members
spent a weekend in the mountain town, and Solberg herself has later admitted that
too many of her family members were present in the same room. Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK) broke the news Thursday night about Solberg’s alleged
transgressions. She ended up having to forego a dinner in her honour at a Geilo
restaurant because of an eye infection that demanded emergency treatment in Oslo,
but 13 family members attended, three more than allowed under both state and local
rules. She returned to Geilo in time for take-away sushi in the holiday apartment her
family had rented, but that led to another case of too many family members being
present: 14.

Solberg has apologized profusely, just like a deputy leader of the Labour Party had to
after he and other Labour politicians partied in Bodø last weekend. They were let off

the hook because of differences between state and local rules. Solberg and her
family, meanwhile, face �nes of NOK 10,000 each and NOK 20,000 for whoever is
determined to have arranged the two dinner, probably either Solberg or her husband,
Sindre Finnes.

***Health authorities fear the number of Corona virus patients needing intensive
care will triple over the next four weeks at hospitals in southeastern Norway. That
would put “an extreme burden” on health care staff, claims the head of Norway’s
nurses’ union, Lill Sverresdatter Larsen. “Nurses are used to swings in demand,”
Larsen told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday, “but when there already has been
such a huge burden over such  a long time, this is very worrisome.” Cathrine Lofthus,
chief executive of the state’s regional health care agency Helse Sør-Øst, was also
worried about the prognosis from the state public health institute FHI. The main
problem now is the rapid spread of the British mutation of the Corona virus, she said,
noting that it’s behind 90 percent of current hospitalizations.

Hospitals in the southeast had 195 Corona patients admitted as of Thursday (March
18), 52 of them in the intensive care unit and 34 of them on respirators. Local
hospitals have begun postponing non-critical operations to make room for more
patients in Oslo, Bærum, Lørenskog, Vestfold and Sarpsborg.

***Norway’s third infection wave was crashing over the country this week, as the
highest numbers of con�rmed virus cases ever rolled in. A total of 1,156 cases were
registered in a 24-hour period between Tuesday and Wednesday, with areas like
Haugalandet on the West Coast now being hit hard. “These are high and disturbing
numbers,” Jarle Nilsen, the mayor of Karmøy, told state broadcaster NRK. Fully half of
all cases in neighbouring Haugesund now involve children and youth. In Oslo, the
number of new con�rmed cases hit 495 in just a 24-hour period. That’s 214 more
than on Wednesday last week. Numbers were also high in Drammen, Bergen and
Tønsberg.

Trondheim, however, could report its best news in weeks: Not a single case was
registered from Tuesday to Wednesday, a huge improvement from outbreaks earlier
this winter. Several other communities around the country also remain infection-free,
but health authorities were still considering even tougher national containment
measures. None were rolled out on Wednesday, and Norwegians will still be allowed
to travel to their holiday homes (hytter) during the Easter holidays.

***There’s been another big increase in Corona cases in the northern city of Bodø,
prompting even tighter rules that are likely to remain in force until well after the
Easter holidays. The South African mutation of the Corona virus is behind most of the
con�rmed cases, leaving 52 people in isolation and 250 in quarantine. Many of those

infected are young, and both high schools in Bodø have been closed.

***Norway has entered its third wave of Corona infection, con�rms assistant state
health director Dr Espen Nakstad. Several more outbreaks were registered on
Tuesday, including cases of the new Brazilian mutation in Vestby, just south of Oslo.
Some hospitals have had to postpone scheduled operations because of infection
concerns and staff in quarantine. Newspaper VG reported that four patients and �ve
employees at the Lovisenberg hospital in Oslo have tested positive for Covid-19.
Another 70 employees had to go into quarantine, prompting the hospital to halt all
new admissions to the geriatric, stroke and cardiac wards. Bærum Sykehus, just west
of Oslo, was also poised to do the same as it moved to a higher level of preparedness
after Bærum registered record-high infection with 68 new cases overnight.

In Tønsberg, around 25 scheduled operations have been postponed because of a

jump in admissions of Corona patients. A professor at the University of Oslo warned
that the recent rise in Corona infection will likely result in more admissions over the
next few weeks, putting more pressure on hospitals, especially those in Oslo and
Viken County, now under strict Corona containment measures. The mayor of
Haugesund, where infection has also risen, was calling on the government to put the
entire country under lockdown again. “Oslo, Viken, Nordland and parts of Rogaland
and Vestland have imposed the strictest measures,” Mayor Arne-Christian Mohn of
the Labour Party told state broadcaster NRK Tuesday afternoon. “Then the question
is whether they should also be imposed nationwide. We see that the virus mutations
are much more aggressive, hospitalizations are rising and we risk losing control if we
don’t crack down.”

***Hair salons in the northern city of Bodø were ordered to close on Tuesday, after
the city registered another 180 cases of the Corona virus. That makes Bodø, which
also has experienced a sharp rise in Corona infection recently, the �rst city in Norway
to resume salon closures since the �rst wave of infection in early 2020. State health
o�cials and the government haven’t viewed such “one-to-one” services as high-risk
sources of infection, but Bodø o�cials included salons, barbershops, tattoo studios
and other such non-medical services in a new shutdown aimed at halting the current
spread.

***Another vaccinated health care worker died during the weekend. She was one of
three health care workers admitted to the national hospital (Rikshospitalet) in Oslo
after all suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. The state drug administration is
investigating, since all three health care workers had received the AstraZeneca
vaccine. “They took the vaccine at around the same time,” Dr Pål Andre Holme told
reporters at a press meeting on Monday. The health care worker who died was
described as “a young woman,” under the age of 50, who worked at the hospital in

Lillehammer. She had no other underlying illnesses, according to Dr Trine Kåsine of
the National Hospital’s intensive care ward.

“She was vaccinated a week before she was admitted (to the hospital),” Kåsine said.
“She received treatment through the weekend, but we couldn’t save her life. She died
on Sunday.” Kåsine described her cerebral hemmorhage as creating “a great
catastrophe in her brain that we couldn’t repair.”

A health care worker in her 30s from Tynset also died last week from a blood clot
after being vaccinated with AstraZeneca (see below). All recent cases involving
cerebral hemmorhages and blood clots in Norway are under examination for any ties
to the vaccine, use of which has been suspended (see below).

***The Brazilian strain of the Corona virus has been con�rmed in Norway for the
�rst time. Three cases of the highly contagious mutation have been registered in the
western industrial mountain town of Årdal, but local o�cials claim they have “good
control.” Infection from the Brazilian strain was con�rmed in the laboratory at
Western Norway’s largest hospital, Haukeland University Hospital, during routine
screening of positive Corona virus test results. State broadcaster NRK reported that
the person involved had traveled from Brazil and tested positive upon arrival at
Norway’s gateway airport OSL Gardermoen before later traveling on to Årdal.

***Norway’s state drug administration (Legemiddelverket) is investigating the death

of a Norwegian woman who died not long after being vaccinated with the
AstraZeneca vaccine. Norway has suspended its use following reports of some
potentially serious side-effects (see below). Public health institute FHI has not
concluded there’s any connection between the death of the woman, a health care
worker in her 30s who lives in Tynset in Innland County, and the vaccine. Her case,
however, “will be thoroughly evaluated,” wrote FHI in a press release Friday.

***Norway is now due to receive far fewer doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine,
reported newspaper VG Thursday evening. Only around 670,000 doses are now
expected to arrive in Norway during the second quarter, a million fewer than the state
public health institute FHI had expected before they suspended use of the vaccine
because of health concerns. “That’s about a 60 percent reduction in the second
quarter,” Knut Jønsrud of FHI told VG. He and his colleagues had expected delivery of
as many as 1.67 million doses during April, May and June. Use of the AstraZeneca
doses already in Norway, however, was put on hold Thursday pending a probe of
reports from Denmark about possible fatal side-effects. “We’re doing this to see
whether there’s any connection between AstraZeneca vaccinations and blood clots.”

Denmark has also suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was recently

approved for people age 65 and over in Norway. The suspension will delay Norway’s
vaccination program. On a more positive note, the EU approved use of the single-
dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, meaning it will likely be made available in Norway
as well. Despite complaints from opposition parties in Parliament, state broadcaster
NRK reported that Norway’s vaccination program has been progressing at a rate that
ranks it �fth in the world (behind only Israel, Great Britain, the US and Denmark) in
terms of the percentage of countries’ populations that are now vaccinated. Norway
had vaccinated 10 percent of its population as of this week.

***A proposed compensation program for foreign workers aims to help those who
haven’t been able to travel to their jobs in Norway. It will provide at least some
compensation for lost income from January 29, when the government closed
Norway’s borders. Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she’d already informed her
Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, about the program since Swedish workers in
Norway have been hit the hardest. It will still need approval from opposition parties,
but Solberg called the program “a solution” to problems facing foreign workers when
she addressed Parliament on the Corona situation this week. It will apply to all
workers who live in the European Economic Area but commute to jobs in Norway. The
government’s proposal, to be administered through state welfare agency NAV, will
compensate foreign workers for 70 percent of their wages up to a maximum of NOK
600,000.

Only the conservative Progress Party, a former member of Solberg’s government

coalition, has publicly opposed the program so far. “We believe Norwegian welfare
bene�ts should go to Norwegian citizens and others who live and work in Norway,”
claimed Progress politician Erlend Wiborg. “The government’s compensation
program will go to people living in Romania, Poland, Latvia, Sverige etc. It’s not
Norwegian taxpayers’ job to �nance this. It’s up to Poland, Sweden, Romania and
other European countries to take care of their own citizens.” Labour Minister Torbjørn
Røe Isaksen rejected Progress’ criticism, noting that many foreign workers in Norway
already have earned rights to sick pay and other Norwegian welfare bene�ts. Given
the rising infection numbers in Norway, the borders may also remain closed for a long
time.

***A proposed compensation system for foreign workers aims to help those who
haven’t been able to travel to their jobs in Norway. It will provide at least some
compensation for lost income from January 29, when the government closed
Norway’s borders. Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she’d already informed her
Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, about the program since Swedish workers in
Norway have been hit the hardest. It will still need approval from opposition parties,
but Solberg called the program “a solution” to problems facing foreign workers when
she addressed Parliament on the Corona situation this week. It will apply to all

workers who live in the European Economic Area but commute to jobs in Norway. The
government’s proposal, to be administered through state welfare agency NAV, will
compensate foreign workers for 70 percent of their wages up to a maximum of NOK
600,000.

Only the conservative Progress Party, a former member of Solberg’s government

coalition, has publicly opposed the program so far. “We believe Norwegian welfare
bene�ts should go to Norwegian citizens and others who live and work in Norway,”
claimed Progress politician Erlend Wiborg. “The government’s compensation
program will go to people living in Romania, Poland, Latvia, Sverige etc. It’s not
Norwegian taxpayers’ job to �nance this. It’s up to Poland, Sweden, Romania and
other European countries to take care of their own citizens.” Labour Minister Torbjørn
Røe Isaksen rejected Progress’ criticism, noting that many foreign workers in Norway
already have earned rights to sick pay and other Norwegian welfare bene�ts. Given
the rising infection numbers in Norway, the borders may also remain closed for a long
time.

***A proposed compensation system for foreign workers aims to help those who
haven’t been able to travel to their jobs in Norway. It will provide at least some
compensation for lost income from January 29, when the government closed
Norway’s borders. Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she’d already informed her
Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, about the program since Swedish workers in
Norway have been hit the hardest. It will still need approval from opposition parties,
but Solberg called the program “a solution” to problems facing foreign workers when
she addressed Parliament on the Corona situation this week. It will apply to all
workers who live in the European Economic Area but commute to jobs in Norway. The
government’s proposal, to be administered through state welfare agency NAV, will
compensate foreign workers for 70 percent of their wages up to a maximum of NOK
600,000.

Only the conservative Progress Party, a former member of Solberg’s government

coalition, has publicly opposed the program so far. “We believe Norwegian welfare
bene�ts should go to Norwegian citizens and others who live and work in Norway,”
claimed Progress politician Erlend Wiborg. “The government’s compensation
program will go to people living in Romania, Poland, Latvia, Sverige etc. It’s not
Norwegian taxpayers’ job to �nance this. It’s up to Poland, Sweden, Romania and
other European countries to take care of their own citizens.” Labour Minister Torbjørn
Røe Isaksen rejected Progress’ criticism, noting that many foreign workers in Norway
already have earned rights to sick pay and other Norwegian welfare bene�ts. Given
the rising infection numbers in Norway, the borders may also remain closed for a long
time.


***Norwegian health o�cials are planning to lengthen the interval between
vaccination shots, in order to enable more people to get their �rst shot. They’re also
set to recommend the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over age 65. Norway’s current
vaccination program using the P�zer/Biontech and Moderna vaccine has involved a
second booster shot within two weeks of the �rst shot. That interval will now be
extended to between three and six weeks, freeing up available vaccine so more
people can get their initial shot and thus be better protected from infection. Norway
expects to soon receive more than 2 million doses of additional vaccine, which can
then be used for both booster shots and initial shots for more people.

State public health institute FHI is also now evaluating the AstraZeneca vaccine to
Norwegians older than 65. New studies are showing that it’s been more effective than
�rst thought for seniors, and can also allow many more Norwegians to be vaccinated
sooner than expected. While Prime Minister Erna Solberg stated in an address to
Parliament Tuesday that AstraZeneca “will now be recommended,” however, FHI’s
director in infection prevention Dr Geir Bukholm told newspaper VG that “we’re
evaluating it, we haven’t concluded yet.”

***Immigrant communities in Norway continue to have among the highest Corona

virus infection rates, and are thus due to be allotted more doses of vaccine. Large
families and a tradition of several generations living together have put them at a
much higher risk of infection. Newspaper Aftenposten reported how the Oslo
neighbourhoods of Stovner and Søndre Nordstrand have had more residents
hospitalized than all of Northern Norway, Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal combined.
Nearly 30 percent of all Corona patients aged 45 to 75 come from six
neighbourhoods in Oslo and four municipalities in Viken County: Lørenskog,
Sarpsborg, Fredrikstad and Moss.

The seven hardest-hit neighbourhoods in Oslo alone accounted for around 20

percent of all Corona patients in the country, according to statistics compiled by the
public health institute FHI and the City of Oslo. Oslo-area hospitals are currently �lling
up with Corona virus patients once again. It’s being linked to all the elderly
immigrants living with their children and grandchildren, who are out working or at
school. Someone in the family unwittingly comes home with the virus and soon many
family members are infected, just like when Norwegians who’d been skiing in the Alps
last winter brought the virus back with them, and then passed it on to others, “like the
taxi drivers taking them home from the airport,” said Oslo city government leader
Raymond Johansen. Norwegian students living in collective housing and workers
from abroad living in company housing are also at risk. Now they’re due for more
systematic testing and vaccinations, as attempts to control the spread of the virus
move forward.


***Prime Minister Erna Solberg addressed the nation again Sunday evening,
apparently feeling a need to rally public support for new and even tougher national
anti-infection measures. Her government is expected to issue the new Corona
containment measures this week. Solberg’s address was meant to mark the
upcoming one-year anniversary of when the Corona crisis o�cially began in Norway,
and her government shut down the nation. She said she understands that everyone is
tired of ongoing restrictions on personal freedom, but stressed that “we still have a
ways to go” until restrictions can be lifted.

“Infection is rising again,” Solberg said, adding that “the British mutation is taking
over. That’s why we’re not �nished with strict measures just yet.” She expressed
gratitude for Norwegian solidarity during the crisis: “We are together in this and we
stand best together. We will come out of this together.”

*** The need for intensive care exceeded capacity at a major Oslo-area hospital this
week, forcing the transfers of several patients to other university hospitals. Sta�ng
shortages worry hospital o�cials, as infection keeps rising in the Norwegian capital
and extended shutdowns loom (see below). Corona patients continue to stream into
the Akershus University Hospital (Ahus) in Lørenskog, with many needing intensive
care. There’s no shortage of beds or respirators, but there are not enough intensive
care nurses to tend to patients who are critically ill. The sta�ng shortage is
especially acute during the weekends.

Nursing representatives complain of an overall lack of nurses (called sykepleiere in

Norwegian) being educated in Norway. Corona-related travel restrictions and border
closures have also disrupted the entry of nurses from Sweden and Denmark. The
situation is so critical that some medical professionals are now urging a national
shutdown for the two weeks before the upcoming Easter holiday week and two
weeks afterwards. They don’t think current regional shutdowns in Oslo, Kristiansand,
Bodø and some other Norwegian cities are enough to halt the spread of the Corona
virus and its new contagious strains.

***New national Corona restrictions loom in the coming week, warned Health
Minister Bent Høie on Thursday (March 4). The goal is still to reduce the spread of
the Corona virus, speci�cally bringing the so-called “R-factor” that measures the
spread down below 1. “We must gain control over infection through March and April,
in order to be able to start having more normal everyday life,” Høie told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK). He said Norway’s R-factor is now 1.3, meaning that infection is
still spreading “very quickly.” If that spread continues, Høie warned, “it will have
dramatic consequences for many people who can become seriously ill and land in
the hospital. Our health care services will then be over-burdened.”


Other state health o�cials and medical professionals have also pointed to the
importance of reducing infection over the next two months. Dr Espen Nakstad of the
public health institute FHI said earlier in the day that he doesn’t think Norway will “get
back to normal” until the summer, and then only if Corona containment measures
remain in effect through the spring. Høie stressed the importance of local
restrictions, saying he was impressed by how Oslo has cracked down after more
outbreaks, as have cities like Kristiansand and Tromsø. Many of Oslo’s neighbouring
communities including Lillestrøm, Lørenskog and Nittedal have followed up with their
own measures that include closing stores and restaurants and discouraging guests
at home, while Bærum is allowing them to remain open but demanding patrons to
register their addresses. Only people actually living in Bærum, for example, can use
exercise studios or get a beer.

***Norway’s national vaccination program is due to pick up with the pending arrival
of around 2 million doses in March and April. That’s greatly cheered state and local
health o�cials around the country who’ve been all set up for mass vaccinations but
lacked vaccine. After only receiving 372,000 doses in February, Dr Camilla
Stoltenberg is more optimistic about the tempo of vaccination programs this spring.
She expects far more reliable shipments of both the Astra Zeneca and P�zer vaccine,
and Norway also may start getting other vaccines through its agreement with the EU.
That may include the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine, acquisition of which has already
been urged by o�cials in Finnmark where Norway shares a border with Russia and
wants to work with its northerly neighbours.

***Oslo plans to start mass-testing high school students next week, in yet another
effort to stop the spread of the Corona virus in the capital. Schools in areas with the
highest levels of infection (Groruddalen, Søndre Nordstrand and Gamle Oslo) will be
tested �rst. School o�cials plan to use several testing methods including spit tests,
nose tests and a combination. Testing won’t be mandatory, but highly
encouraged. Recent studies have shown that the highest level of infection in Oslo is
now occurring in the age group 10-19. The entire city was forced into a new social
shutdown this week, after some of the highest numbers of con�rmed Corona cases
since the crisis began, made worse by more cases of highly contagious new strains
of the virus.

***The mayor of Norway’s central city of Molde remained under �re Tuesday after he
spent the weekend criticizing Oslo’s failure to halt Corona virus infection. By Monday
he was even being scolded by his own Conservative Party’s Prime Minister Erna
Solberg, who called his criticism an “unnecessary contribution to the Corona debate,”
only to later �nd out that her own top adviser was involved.

Molde Mayor Torgeir Dahl was still trying hard to fend off a social media storm of

outrage, and claimed he had no regrets for stating that he was “unimpressed” over
how Oslo’s city government, led by the Labour Party, “never gets control over
infection” that can then be “planted out in the country.” That was interpreted as an
attempt to pit Norway’s biggest urban area against rural districts, and it back�red
badly. Instead of gaining support from others outside Oslo, the vast majority rallied to
support the capital and its population, which has lived under the strictest Corona
containment measures in the country. On Sunday evening, city leaders even had to
tighten them again with a new social shutdown due to last at least until mid-March.

Oslo’s government leader Raymond Johansen called Dahl’s remarks a “distasteful

attack” on the people of Oslo. Solberg added her support for Oslo, too: “I know that
many people all over the country are tired of Corona measures,” she wrote on social
media. “We all have to contribute and there’s no doubt Oslo has had a tougher time
than others. The new measures imposed Sunday have my support and the
government’s.” She added that Norwegians have to “stand together in this, and get
out of it together.” After �nding out that her state secretary had helped Dahl get
national newspaper coverage for his tirade against Oslo, his future seem in jeopardy,
too.

***Oslo residents who’ve been away on winter holidays elsewhere in the country are
being asked to test themselves for Covid-19 after returning home. City government
o�cials struggling to control rising Corona infection don’t want even more of it to be
imported from other regions. The daily average of con�rmed Covid-19 cases has
jumped from 64 to 99 just in the past two weeks. Robert Steen, Oslo’s top politician in
charge of health issues, pointed to some Corona outbreaks at mountain lodges last
week and how mobility in itself contributes to the spread of the virus.

***Public health o�cials are now most worried about the infection situations in Oslo
and Kristiansand, the southern city where every fourth con�rmed case can’t be traced
to its source of infection. Fully 414 people were infected in Kristiansand in February.
“We underestimated the situation in Kristiansand and don’t see any clear signs that
it’s turning around,” Dr Preben Aavitsland of the state public health institute FHI told
state broadcaster NRK. Residents can expect much stricter Corona containment
measures including bans on all public gatherings except funerals, closure of all bars,
restaurants and exercise studios and digital instead of classroom instruction at local
high schools among other restrictions.

***Norwegian researchers are looking into whether many Norwegians’ traditional

habit of imbibing a daily dose of cod liver oil (called tran) has spared them Corona
infection. Medical professionals have already noted that fewer or those who take tran
daily have been infected by the virus, and if they are infected, they don’t get as sick as
others who don’t take tran. Now Dr Arne Søraas and his colleagues at Oslo University

Hospital are seeking many more people to take part in their research by taking tran or
a placebo. Around 30,000 have already signed up but 70,000 participants are needed
in the study.

***Children in Norway may have to start wearing face masks at school, reported
radio station P4 on Friday. That’s because the new strains of the Corona virus that are
rapidly spreading around Norway infect all age groups much more easily, also
children and youth. State health o�cials are thus evaluating whether they’ll
recommend stricter anti-infection rules for schools. “We now unfortunately see an
increase in the infection situation many places around Norway,” state health director
Dr Bjørn Guldvog told P4 and later state broadcaster NRK. “One of several measures
could be use of face masks at school among teachers and the oldest students in
areas with lots of infection.” The standard rule of staying at least a meter apart may
also be doubled, to two meters, Guldvog said. Testing and infection tracking must
also be strengthened.

***Vaccination programs are critical for bringing about an end to the Corona crisis,
but they’ve also prompted some complaints. Oslo’s highly digitalized registration
process has been branded as far too di�cult for many elderly citizens to
understand. Norwegian authorities’ tendency to force digitalization upon the public
can often seem to go too far. In Oslo, it’s frustrated many in the age group between
75 and 84 who are now being encouraged to sign up for their Covid-19 vaccinations.
They �nd it challenging to follow or even see links on their mobile phones, tap in
multi-step security codes, set up new pin codes and answer lots of personal
questions in order to get their shots.

“I made several efforts but had to give up,” 82-year-old Kristen Knudsen told
newspaper Aftenposten. “The instructions for what I had to do were very poor.” He’s
otherwise fairly comfortable with online solutions but found himself overwhelmed by
all the veri�cation codes and pin codes needed to book a vaccination appointment.
City o�cials in charge of Oslo’s program responded that everyone unable to deal with
the digitalized system will be contacted by telephone, letter or other means to make
sure that those who want to be vaccinated will be.

***Norway’s southern city of Kristiansand was suddenly imposing strict new Corona
infection control measures this week. Health o�cials warned the virus was spreading
through the southern region known as Sørlandet, just as winter holidays were
beginning. The city responded by halting the sale and serving of alcoholic drinks and
closing gyms, on the advice of state public health institute FHI. “Everyone can see
that this is now serious,” said Kristiansand Mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland of the Labour
Party.  Other restrictions included closures of public swimming pools, bowling alleys,
amusement parks and other gathering places, while restaurants were asked to

register all guests so that they could be contacted later if necessary.

A total of 315 residents of Kristiansand have been infected with the Corona virus so
far this month. Outbreaks have occurred among various groups and the situation was
described as “highly unstable.” Neighbouring municipalities were also considering
new shutdowns and other restrictions.

***Oslo will be organizing mass testing for the Corona virus at various workplaces in
the Norwegian capital. City health o�cials are targeting construction sites, exercise
studios and other venues in an effort to be able to ease restrictions if low infection
rates are found. City o�cials can’t force employees to undergo testing, however, but
expect most will. Thousands of Oslo residents complied with recommendations that
they test themselves before leaving town for this week’s winter holidays. The goal is
to identify sources of infection and crack down on it before it spreads, especially
cases of new strains of the virus. State health o�cials announced Monday that a
total of 747 cases of the British strain have been con�rmed in Norway plus 74 of the
South African strain. Fully half of the South African strain were found in Western
Norway and 23 in Nordland County.

Testing at workplaces began on Friday among construction workers building new

pools at the Oset water treatment plant at the southern end of the lake
Maridalsvatnet. There have been several outbreaks of Covid-19 at construction sites
in Oslo since the Christmas and New Year holidays.

***The new strains of the Corona virus being found in Norway may make March and
April the “most di�cult” months of the entire pandemic, Dr Espen Nakstad warned on
Friday. His warning came as state o�cials announced they were keeping most of the
current national restrictions in force, with the exception of some easing of rules for
children and youth in areas where infection is low. Nakstad said the various
mutations of the virus can make it di�cult to keep schools and day care centers
open, though, because they seem to spread more quickly among children.

“The next two months will be very di�cult in Norway because we have an increase
of the more contagious virus strains and infection levels that are rising again,”
Nakstad said at the government’s press conference Friday afternoon. He said state
health o�cials were closely following developments in Sweden and Denmark, where
mutant virus infection is now rising quickly. O�cials in Oslo are also worried about
another wave of infection after next week’s winter holidays. There already have been
examples of how entire classes of children can be infected. A large day care center in
Oslo, Margarinfabrikken, was closed this week.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg con�rmed this “is not the the time” to ease restrictions

too much, but local communities will be allowed from next Tuesday (Feb 23) to
determine whether their local colleges, universities and professional schools can
reopen for instruction. Children and youth can also be allowed compete in organized
sports, with up to 50 people present at indoor events and 200 present outdoors, but
that includes all athletes, coaches, staff and parents. Strict border control remains in
place.

***The southern coastal city of Kristiansand was reporting record high infection
levels on Friday, with 24 new registered cases and the mayor calling for everyone to
use face masks. Kristiansand now has the highest rate of new infection in the
country, according to chief medical o�cer Dr Priscilla Hilton, with “many unknown
sources of infection.” Mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland appealed to local residents on
Friday that “this is serious. We must halt the spread of infection.” Nearly 200
residents have been infected in the past two weeks.

***Fully vaccinated Norwegian still can’t live as they used to before the Corona
pandemic began, warns Norway’s public health institute FHI. Dr Preben Aavitsland
said those vaccinated are protected against the illness, but they can still infect others
who aren’t vaccinated yet. “Everyone has to realize that they can still infect other
people,” Aavitsland told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. “They must therefore
follow the same rules as everyone else when they’re out in the public.” Those who
have had both vaccinations should, for example, continue to wear face masks.
Recovering cancer patient Anne Grethe Solbakken of Trondheim said that’s �ne with
her. She still follows a strict infection protection regime because her cancer
treatments lowered her immune system. “Especially now, when there are the new
mutant strains of the virus out there, I’m still anxious about infection,” Solbakken told
NRK.

***A new strain of the Corona virus has been discovered in Norway that’s similar to
both the British and South African strains. It can be more contagious than Covid-19
and has been called B.1.525. Around 30 cases of the same strain have also been
found in Denmark and Great Britain. Public health institute FHI said around 10 cases
had been found in Norway since Wednesday, and it’s also cropped up in the US.

***Oslo o�cials are only slightly easing their strict Corona containment measures.
City government leader Raymond Johansen warned against any “re-opening” too
quickly, thus taking only a careful few steps out of the social shutdown imposed in
January. Children and youth will be able to resume participation in organized sports
and free-time activities. Organized athletic or exercise programs for adults can also
resume, but only outdoors and only in groups of no more than 10 people. High
schools were also allowed to reopen earlier this week, while universities could reopen
their libraries and study rooms.

All other restrictions will continue for at least another two weeks, including closure
of all shopping centers and a ban on serving alcohol in bars or restaurants. Business
organizations were disappointed, especially over the ongoing closure of shopping
centers. Johansen claimed, however, that allowing such public gathering places to
reopen too quickly could have “very, very serious” consequences, such as new spikes
in Corona virus infection.

***”It’s the beginning of the end” of the Corona crisis, according to the head of
Norway’s public health institute FHI, Dr Camilla Stoltenberg. She con�rmed on
national radio Wednesday morning that infection rates have declined markedly in
recent weeks, while more and more people worldwide are getting
vaccinated. Stoltenberg, who’s been part of the group of health care professionals
and government o�cials in charge of Norway’s Corona containment measures, told
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) early Wednesday morning that trends show “the
beginning of the end” of the crisis that’s gripped the globe for the past year. She
stressed, however, that the situation can still change again quickly, not least because
of the new strains of the virus that have been appearing. She urged everyone to
remain vigilant with social distancing and other infection prevention measures that
already have left Norway with among the lowest infection levels in Europe and also
the world.

FHI’s head of infection control, meanwhile, said the institute is now revising its
vaccine strategy and that risk evaluations of the new strains will play an important
role. “We have started a process of going through our strategy,” Geir Bukholm said at
a press conference Tuesday afternoon, while acknowleding that some cities with high
infection levels want more vaccine than currently alloted. “We are always stressing
the most e�cient means of distributing our vaccines.” Stoltenberg conceded that
Norway’s vaccination program has proceeded more slowly than expected, “but that’s
because we haven’t received as much vaccine as expected.”

***Health Minister Bent Høie eased state-mandated emergency restrictions in Oslo

and many other surrounding municipalities on Tuesday, allowing them to return to
imposing their own local Corona containment measures as they see �t. Infection
levels are back under control and the need for overriding state restrictions was no
longer deemed necessary. Høie said the state public health institute FHI had
evaluated the situation in both Oslo and Viken counties “and now has a better
overview of the infection situation and better capacity for testing, tracking infection
and quarantine.” Uniform measures in all the various municipalities can thus be lifted
from Thursday.

That means shopping centers, schools, libraries, colleges and universities can reopen
if the municipalities where they’re located think that’s safe. Exercise studios may also

be able to reopen and restaurants may even be able to serve alcoholic beverages.
Oslo, Halden and Sarpsborg have had the highest levels of infection, with their new
restriction levels expected to be announced later this week. The state restrictions
were �rst imposed after new strains of the Corona virus were detected in Nordre
Follo, just south of Oslo. The restrictions were later expanded to most of
southeastern Norway.

***Norway’s most popular Corona expert, Dr Espen Nakstad of the public health
institute FHI, says he hopes for “a more normal summer” this year but still fears a
third wave of infection. He’s urging ongoing vigilance and respect for Corona
containment measures. “If many people think the danger is over and stop paying
attention to infection prevention advice before they’re vaccinated,” Nakstad warned,
“we can risk a third wave of infection that will lead to more illness and
hospitalizations in age groups not yet vaccinated.” He told news bureau NTB that only
real turning point in the Corona crisis will come when the entire population is fully
vaccinated. That’s not expected until late summer at the earliest.

***Oslo residents are being asked to test themselves for Corona infection before
they leave the city for winter holidays out of town next week. Robert Steen, the city’s
top politician in charge of health issues, also stressed that those heading for the
mountains or other holiday destinations should continue to follow their hometown’s
rules when away as well. “We have seen that holiday periods have a tendency to lead
to a rise in infection afterwards,” Steen told NRK. Schools are closed around the
country either in the week beginning February 22 or March 1, and that’s when families
traditionally take off for winter holidays.

***Norwegians can travel to their holiday homes during the upcoming winter holiday
weeks, as long as their hytter are in Norway. Restrictions are in place, however, with
everyone urged to do their shopping at home, avoid social gathering spots at ski
resorts and travel only with those in their own households.  “The one-meter rule also
applies at the hytte,” said Health Minister Bent Høie. “Travel with those you live with
and without contact with others.” He noted that “you can gladly visit one another
outdoors,” just not indoors. Høie also noted that everyone should continue to follow
restrictions issued by their home areas, also while at their hytter in different areas. “If
you’re not supposed to go to shopping centers where you live, you shouldn’t go to a
shopping center while on winter holiday.” The goal is to avoid meeting too many other
people. He also noted that all ski centers will have strict Corona containment
measures in place that must be followed. Low infection rates so far have meant that
ski resports in Norway haven’t had to close like they have in other countries.

***Several hundred people in Haugesund were ordered to be tested after discovery

of the British strain of the Corona virus at the Aibel offshore yard, just over a bridge

from downtown. Local health o�cials are alarmed and evaluating a new wave of
restrictions. The contagious British strain was con�rmed in a worker at the Aibel yard
who’s now in isolation. The infection source was unclear and all the worker’s close
contacts were in quarantine. Haugesund o�cials were responding with mass testing:
“Since the infection source is unknown, we need to take this as seriously as we can,”
Dr Josten Helgeland, the local chief medical o�cer, told Norwegian Broadcasting
(NRK).

Aibel has not been shut down and those testing negative so far are working as
normal. All are in quarantine in their free-time, however. The person con�rmed with
the British strain is a foreign worker, often viewed as a source of imported
infection, but he reportedly has been in Norway since before borders were closed on
January 29. He has not had any close contact with local residents. Aibel insisted that
all its Corona containment measures had been followed.

***Health care workers heading in for shifts at the University Hospital in Stavanger
could be encouraged by some new street art painted on a wall along a main
commuter route. It’s signed by the anonymous Norwegian artist Pøbel, and it depicts
Health Minister Bent Høie wearing a face mask and lifting up a health care
professional in full protective gear. The image was immediately linked to an iconic
scene in the �lm Dirty Dancing and Høie himself called it “incredibly beautiful.” Høie,
who’s from the Stavanger area, told state broadcaster NRK that he thinks the artist
“brought forth how grateful we all are for the work the health services are doing. They
really deserve this.” Pøbel himself told NRK that his choice of location for the art, near
the hospital, was “not coincidental” since it’s “a place many health care workers are
passing by.” He called his latest work “a tribute to the health services, which has been
heavy pressure during the pandemic.” He otherwise declined further comment, saying
it was up to the viewer to interpret it. (To see photos of the art, click here – external
link to NRK’s coverage).

***As many as 1,500 people are in quarantine in Trondheim after two con�rmed
cases of the British strain of the Corona virus were found among students at the local
Singsaker School. Trondheim was already plagued by various outbreaks and has
been forced to impose strict new measures to prevent the spread of infection. Now
concerns are high that the more contagious new strain will lead to yet another. State
broadcaster NRK reported that the elementary school has 390 students and 65
employees. All were sent home on Thursday and ordered into quarantine along with
their families. At least 27 people in Trondheim have now been con�rmed infected
with the new strain that’s spread to Heimdal and neighouring Stjørdal. Six other
municipalities have also felt obliged to impose new restrictions.

***Norway’s bishops are asking local leaders of The Norwegian Church around the

country to decide on whether they’ll postpone spring con�rmation ceremonies until
the autumn. That would allow more family members to attend the con�rmations that
serve as a “coming of age” for a majority of 15-year-olds around the country. Corona
containment measures currently allow gatherings of no more than 10 people, and
more uncertainty around travel and other restrictions will prevail during the next
several months. Health o�cials suggested on Wednesday, however, that life may
return to normal by the end of summer.

Fully 54 percent of Norway’s 15-year-olds were con�rmed in The Norwegian Church in

2019, while many others opt for non-religious ceremonies. Most con�rmations have
traditionally taken place in the spring, but Corona-related restrictions threaten to spoil
them. Archbishop Olav Fykse Tveit is thus asking local church o�cials to decide on
postponements as soon as possible. Around 450 prospective kon�rmanter in Siljan,
Porsgrunn and Skien have already been told that ceremonies will be held this fall
instead of between April and June.

***New strains of the Corona virus continue to emerge around Norway, forcing
Bergen into a new lockdown and raising serious concern in Trondheim. Another 37
con�rmed cases of virus mutation were reported in the Bergen area on Tuesday,
including 27 that involved the British strain while 10 were the South African strain. A
total of 27 cases of virus mutation, believed to be even more contagious tha the
original Covid-19, was also registered in Trondheim this week, along with reports that
some people with positive results had violated quarantine. They were being reported
to the police.

Even the small town of Nittedal, just north of Oslo, was reeling under a new outbreak
of the Corona virus including two cases of the British mutation. Around 3,500 people
out skiing at the popular Varingskollen Alpine Center in Nittedal between last Monday
and through Sunday have been asked to test themselves for the Corona virus as soon
as possible. The slopes were staying open but all ski equipment rental and cafés
were closed.

***Norway’s education minister announced cancellation on Monday of  written �nal

exams for both junior high- and high school students, after months of debate over the
quality of instruction during the Corona crisis. Oral exams for some high school
students, however, will proceed as planned. “The pandemic has without doubt led to
varying degrees of instruction,” said Education Minister Guri Melby of the Liberal
Party. It’s been di�cult for schools around the country to maintain national standards
for instruction that’s tested in �nal exams. Several opposition parties in Parliament
along with student organizations had urged cancellation, with even newspaper
Aftenposten editorializing that exams should be cancelled. Constant �uctuation
between digital and classroom instruction has been demanding for both teachers

and students. Nine out of 10 student councils at 183 high schools around Norway
had also recommended cancellation.

***Only 24 new con�rmed cases of the Corona virus were registered in Oslo from
Sunday to Monday. It was the lowest number since October, before the second wave
of infection hit Norway, but o�cials remain on guard because of new virus
strains. “We can celebrate how 700,000 Oslo residents have shown how we can really
come together on something,” the city government leader in charge of health issues,
Robert Steen of the Labour Party, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Monday
morning. The number of new cases is less than half as many a week ago and a
fraction of the 242 new cases reported in November when city o�cials imposed a
new shutdown that has remained in force and even been expanded.

The biggest concern now is the spread of new strains of the Corona virus that have
hit several areas in and around Oslo, including news cases in suburban Asker, plus
Bergen and the Hardanger region. Bergen, Ulvik and Kvam were in lockdown mode
early this week.

***Norwegians won’t be able to cross the border into Sweden until at least April.
While Norwegian border closures were still up for review, Sveriges Radio reported
Saturday that the Swedish government has decided to keep its borders closed to
Norwegians, Danes and the British until March 31. Swedish authorities cite the threat
of more imported infection involving new strains of the Corona virus, not least the
mutation that �rst occurred in the UK late last year. Others are now appearing as well,
including one from South Africa.

It means Norwegians won’t be able travel into Sweden even with documentation of a
negative Corona test. Another 18 cases of Corona infection have been con�rmed in
Halden, meanwhile, which is located on the border to Sweden. That brings the total
number of cases to 380 in Halden, which remains under strict Corona containment
measures. Several new cases of the South African strain of the virus have been
con�rmed, meanwhile, in Bergen. Nearly half the population of the western mountain
community of Ulvik in Hardanger, meanwhile, remains in quarantine after an outbreak
of Covid-19 (see below).

***Norwegians who own holiday homes in Sweden were cleared for visits by a court
in Oslo on Friday, only to be stymied once again by an appeal and an extension of
border closings by Swedish authorities. They were nonetheless encouraged when the
Oslo County Court ruled Friday that the state hadn’t adequately documented a need
for mandatory quarantine upon return to Norway. Newspaper VG and state
broadcaster NRK reported that the court ruled in favour of Norwegians who have
complained mightily over not being allowed to visit vacation properties in Sweden

during the Corona crisis, many of which lie just over the border from Norway. The
court ruled that quarantine for owners of hytter/stugor in Sweden is such an
infringement of their freedom of movement and property rights that it requires a
thorough evaluation of whether infection control weighs more heavily. The court
expressed doubts, meanwhile, over whether the Norwegian government’s
restructions are invalid

Owners of property in Sweden can’t jump in their cars and head for their hytter any
time soon, however. The state had until March 5 to appeal or come up with new
regulations, and �led an appeal just hours after the verdict came down. Borders
between Sweden and Norway also remain closed, with Swedish authorities extending
their closure on Saturday (Feb 6) until March 31. Current rules thus continue to apply,
and they allow only day trips for inspections or necessary maintenance. Any
overnight stays trigger 10 days of mandatory quarantine upon return to Norway. More
than 12,000 Norwegians own holiday property in Sweden, and around 1,000 were
behind the class-action lawsuit against the state, which also has restricted hytte
visits within Norway as well. There is no so-called “hytte ban” at present, but
Norwegians are not supposed to invite guests to their holiday homes nor frequent
local stores.

***There’s been a new outbreak of what’s suspected to the British strain of the
Corona virus, this time at the main hospital in southeastern Norway. Administrators
at Sykehuset Østfold in Kalnes, between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg,  were sounding
alarms Friday (Feb 5) that too few hospital personnel have been vaccinated yet. The
hospital will receive 1,800 doses of the new AstraZeneca vaccine, but vaccinations
won’t be able to begin before February 15 at the earliest.

***Health o�cials in Lier, located between Drammen and Oslo, were also worried
about a possible outbreak of the British strain of the virus heading into the weekend.
New cases of infection were linked to Tranby School, a local treatment center for
drug addicts and a produce packaging plant. Massive testing was due to be carried
out during the weekend.

***More con�rmed cases of the Corona virus have been found in Norway, including
two new cases of the South African strain in Bergen. It’s the �rst time the South
African strain can’t be directly tied to imported infection. Health o�cials reported a
total of 254 con�rmed cases of the virus mutations on Thursday including 26 new
overnight. Of them, 25 were identi�ed as the British strain and one of the South
African strain. State broadcaster NRK had reported the  South African cases in
Bergen, involving infected residents who had not been abroad themselves. The
source of infection was unclear, and that’s what worries health o�cials most at
present.

Lesser-known mutations have also been discovered among residents of a nursing
home in Bærum that are neither the British nor South African strain. The threat
presented by the spread of new virus strains is what’s prompting state and local
authorities to maintain strict Corona containment measures, even though infection
levels nationwide are on the decline.

***There’s been a “considerable decline” in Corona infection cases nationwide and

“the trend is good,” Norwegian health o�cials said Wednesday, despite a rash of local
outbreaks that has forced more social restrictions. They’re likely to be eased in some
areas, and next week nursing home residents will even be able to receive visitors and
get a hug. “It will be allowed to hug again,” Health Minister Bent Høie said at a
government press conference, at least for the majority of nursing home residents
who have received their second vaccination. They won’t have to maintain distance
from others, Høie said, “because the vaccine gives them good protection.”

Dr Camilla Stoltenberg, head of the Norwegian public health institute FHI also cited a
“considerable decline” in total infection numbers, “but we need to be prepared that a
quick increase can occur.” There have been several local outbreaks that have forced
new shutdowns, but she was also pleased that hospitalizations have declined, too.
Vaccinations were due to double next week, as more doses arrive in Norway.

***Norwegian drug authorities welcomed news this week that the Russian vaccine
known as Sputnik V, has been found to be highly effective. “This is what we’ve been
waiting for,” Dr Steinar Madsen, medical director at Statens legemiddelverk (The
Norwegian Medicines Agency) told news bureau NTB after the medical journal The
Lancet published a positive analysis of the drug showing it to be 91.6 percent
effective. “This is very promising,” Madsen said. If it’s accepted by European
authorities, it can come to Norway as part of the vaccine allotments Norway receives
through an agreement with the EU.

***Norway’s popular and scenic Hardanger area was struggling with infection
outbreaks on Tuesday, and feared that a con�rmed case of the British strain of the
Corona virus would spread. A total of 18 new Corona cases were con�rmed in Ulvik,
while infection was also con�rmed in the nearby communities of Voss, Kvam and
Samnanger. Ulvik responded quickly with strict measures, shutting down most
businesses and stores and even banning visits at private homes. All restaurants and
other public gathering places were also closed. Ulvik has a very small population and
got through last year with only four con�rmed cases of Corona. That’s why 18 new in
one day, and 10 more in recent days, is considered alarming.

“We have as much control as we can in a situation like this,” Ulvik Mayor Hans Petter
Thorbjørnsen told state broadcaster NRK. Five of the new cases are also the new

more contagious strain. Voss, a popular skiing area, reported two new cases, while
Kvam had four new cases during the weekend and Samnanger had one.
Neighbouring regions of Eidfjord, a popular cruise destination before the Corona
crisis set in, and Ullensvang were on high alert and also imposing stricter infection
control measures.

***A total of 93 soldiers tied to the recent NATO military exercises in Northern
Norway have since tested positive for the Corona virus. NRK reported on Tuesday
that local health o�cials weren’t informed about infection warnings issued by the
state public health institute FHI in advance of the exercises that were ultimately
cancelled. They weren’t involved in planning for the exercises either, and were
expressing displeasure this week over infection risk for their local communities.
Norwegian defense o�cials have stressed, however, that all arriving soldiers from
abroad were sent into quarantine, and isolated if test results were positive.

***State authorities clamped down on the southern cities of Halden and Sarpsborg
Sunday evening (Jan 31), after a local outbreak of a new strain of the Corona virus.
The outbreak has been traced to a hockey training session for children that resulted
in 23 new con�rmed cases of the virus, at least one of which is the new, more
contagious mutation. Halden Mayor Anne-Kari Holm told Norwegian Broadcasting
(NRK) that the hockey event at the Halden Ice Hall “should never have been held.” It
wasn’t illegal, though, and o�cials wanted children and youth to be able to gather.
Local organizers insist, and Holm con�rms, that they followed all anti-infection
guidelines that apply to children and organized sporting activities.

Halden is nonetheless left with a total of 324 local cases of con�rmed infection and
both it and nearby Sarpsborg are subject to the same strict shut-down rules as Oslo,
Nordre Follo and Ås: closed schools, shopping centers, restaurants and most
everything else except grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations. The
neighbouring townships of Fredrikstad and Hvaler were subjected to the next-highest
level of closure (so-called “Ring Two” of standards announced Saturday) while Moss
and Våler won’t be liberated from the highest level from Wednesday as scheduled. A
new evaluation for all of Southeastern Norway (still best known as Oslo, Akershus
and Østfold) is due on Tuesday after results of test analyses show whether more
cases of the new virus strain have emerged.

***The government’s new Corona crisis compensation and �nancial aid packages
that were proposed just before the weekend “must be improved,” claims Sylvi
Listhaug of the Progress Party and several other opposition politicians in Parliament.
They want compensation for closed businesses’ losses to continue until at least
October 1, instead of July 1, and more �nancial aid for airlines that have lost the
majority of their business because of travel restrictions. The Conservatives-led

government, which lacks a majority in Parliament, must thus negotiate, probably �rst
with Progress, its former coalition partner, before offering likely sweetened �nancial
aid to both companies and individuals.

***This summer’s music festival season remains highly uncertain, because of the
unpredictability of Corona infection. The government is thus offering NOK 350 million
in support for festival and concert organizers so they can begin planning and have a
�nancial cushion if everything has to be cancelled again. The idea is stimulate
cultural life and try to secure summer music and theatrical programs.

***The new “British” strain of the Corona virus has been found in the test results of
at least two British soldiers who arrived in Northern Norway earlier this month for
NATO winter exercises. Local health care o�cials in Målselv township fear that more
soldiers are infected as well. They went into full emergency mode and have imposed
extra infection control measures. Dr Vidar Bjørnås, chief medical o�cer in Målselv,
told state broadcaster NRK that discovery of the so-called British mutation of the
virus was “not unexpected” and that British personnel have all been handled as if they
were infected with it.

The NATO exercises that brought a total of 3,000 NATO troops to Norway have since
been cancelled, because of the infection risk and logistical challenges. The two
British soldiers con�rmed to be infected with the more contagious form of the virus
arrived in a second group of British personnel who landed in early January and
they’ve been kept in isolation.

***Oslo-area residents can once again travel to their hytter (holiday homes), as long
as they don’t invite guests along on the trip. Government o�cials eased some Corona
restrictions on Thursday evening but are still advising extreme caution. Residents of
25 municipalities in the greater Oslo area were asked last weekend not to travel
outside their own region, to prevent the spread of a mutant strain of the Corona virus.
Now they can, except those living in Nordre Follo, where the outbreak of the new
strain began. Health Minister Bent Høie urged, however, that residents travel only
accompanied by those in their own households and that they don’t invite guests.
They’re also asked to do their shopping for the weekend at home and not to frequent
stores, restaurants or others gathering places in the area around their
hytter. Restrictions against other “unnecessary” travel in Norway remain in place.
Norway also closed its borders as of midnight Thursday for the next 14 days, in
another attempt to contain the virus.

***New cases of the Corona virus have declined dramatically, prompting Prime
Minister Erna Solberg to conclude that containment measures are working. It remains
a paradox, however, that she still felt a need to impose some of the strictest rules

ever this week. Solberg is closing Norway’s borders to most everyone except
permanent residents, even at a time when infection levels haven’t been so low since
October. At that time, Oslo was a fairly open city whereas now it’s all but shut down.
That’s because of concerns over outbreaks of the new, potentially more dangerous
British strain of the Corona virus, and the threat of more imported infection from
abroad.

Newspaper Aftenposten reports that this week’s numbers nonetheless re�ect a 27

percent decline in infection since New Year. The spike then prompted Solberg to
impose new rules limiting social gatherings. She thanked Norwegians on Wednesday
for respecting them but felt compelled to impose still more restrictions last weekend
and now, the border closings, all aimed at controlling and even “eliminating” the new
strain. Health o�cials were still waiting for analyses of new testing to determine
whether more cases of the British strain have spread in the Oslo area. Only eight out
of 120 tests in outbreak areas were positive, and most were being traced to a
possible source.

***Norway’s vaccination program faces delays of one to two months, Health Minister
Bent Høie con�rmed on Tuesday. He said he was sorry to report at his latest press
conference that Norway won’t be getting the large deliveries of vaccine from
producer AstraZeneca that were expected. Fewer deliveries mean fewer vaccinations,
with state public health institute FHI telling newspaper VG on Tuesday that “this
means a considerable delay in the vaccination program. It means that many in the
high-risk groups will be vaccinated in April and May instead of February and March.”
Norway had expected 1.12 million doses in February, but now vaccine deliveries are
delayed over all of Europe.

Trouble has also cropped up with vaccine deliveries from producer P�zer. Norway
has been receiving its allotment of the P�zer vaccine via Swedish authorities, who in
turn receive them through the EU. Since Norway is not a member of the EU but
entitled to an allotment though its trade deal with the EU, Sweden is helping to
administer it. Now, however, Sweden is suspending payments to P�zer because of a
con�ict over whether each glass of vaccine contains �ve or six doses. P�zer is
charging for six, but Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström told newspaper
Dagens Nyheter that’s “unacceptable” if six doses are not retrievable without a
special needle. The lack of payments may also lead to vaccination delays.

***15 mayors in Northern Norway are mulling new quarantine requirements for
everyone arriving from Southern Norway. The goal, reports news bureau NTB, is to
prevent the spread of the new British strain of the Corona virus that’s currently
spreading in the Oslo area. After initially being discovered at a nursing home and day
care center in Nordre Follo, seven cases have been linked to the Smestadhjemmet

nursing home in Oslo and o�cials in Bærum fear an outbreak at the Stabæktunet
nursing home as well. Quarantine requirements for people traveling to Northern
Norway last spring, however, were highly controversial and Health Minister Bent Høie
doesn’t favour a new ones. He stresses that infection levels in Norway have been
declining nationwide and that he thinks health authorities can gain control over the
British strain.

***Travel to hytter (holiday homes) is being strongly discouraged for all Norwegians
living in the Oslo metropolitan area that’s currently under a new Corona shutdown.
Government o�cials don’t want to risk further unwitting spread of the new British
variant of the Corona virus, discovery of which led to the shutdown. The best way to
do that, they say, is to limit mobility. No actual ban on hytte visits has been imposed,
like the controversial one last spring, but local o�cials in Hemsedal, Hallingdal and
other popular hytte areas aren’t rolling out the welcome mats. It was ironic that
Health Minister Bent Høie had just arrived at his own hytte outside Stavanger when
he had to impose new restrictions on Saturday, but he’s since returned to Oslo. The
bottom line: Travel to hytter is not viewed as “necessary,” except in the case of urgent
maintenance needs. Those already at their hytter are not being asked to travel home
“but should not have visitors,” states the health ministry.

***The Norwegian government will �nally start sending out its own translations of
its Corona containment measures in a variety of languages, 10 months after the
Corona crisis began. The goal is to better reach immigrant communities, which have
been overrepresented in Norway’s infection statistics. Norwegian and English
versions of press releases will be sent out �rst, reports newspaper Klassekampen,
followed by versions in Polish, Somali, Urdu and Arabic. That can take up to several
days, however, because of the need to quality-check translations. Prime Minister Erna
Solberg’s statements at her frequent press conferences will also be translated into
the languages of Norway’s largest immigrant groups. Around 35 percent of all
con�rmed cases of the Covid-19 virus involve Norwegian residents who were born
outside the country, according to statistics from public health institute FHI. Most are
from Poland or Somalia.

***Oslo police are doubling the �nes they’ll impose on people caught breaking local
Corona containment measures. State prosecutors want the same level of �nes
nationwide, suggesting they’ll soon go up quickly in other cities and regions,
too. Anyone caught arranging a party with more than 10 guests total will be �ned
NOK 20,000 (USD 2,350) if police come knocking on the door. News bureau NTB also
reported that if a company or other such entity arranges such a party, �nes will hit
NOK 50,000. Guests at such an arrangement will be �ned 10,000 each. Public places
caught serving alcohol in Oslo face closure and �nes of up to NOK 50,000.


Quarantine violations can also trigger �nes of NOK 20,000, while failure to wear a
face mask can cost NOK 2,000. Failure to meet obligatory Covid-19 testing
requirements, for example within 24 hours of arrival in Norway from abroad, will
result in �nes of NOK 10,000. The doubling of �nes “stresses the seriousness of
violating Corona regulations,” Beate Brinch Sand of the Oslo Police District told NTB.
Police districts around the country are being asked to put a priority on alleged
violators.

***Norway’s public health institute FHI con�rms an overall decline nationwide in the
numbers of people being infected by the Corona virus. FHI linked the decline to the
stricter anti-infection measures imposed by the government during the �rst two
weeks of 2021. The latest weekly report from FHI (Folkehelseinstituttet) shows a 36
percent decline in the number of new cases of Covid-19 in Norway from the week
before. There’s also been a 29 percent decline in the number of people being tested,
though, after it hit a record high right after the Christmas- and New Year holidays. The
portion of those testing positive, meanwhile, declined from 2.5 percent during the
�rst week of the year to 2.2 percent in the second week. Additional declines in
hospital admissions and deaths “can be a result” of the government’s social
shutdown announced on January 3. Restrictions were eased somewhat earlier this
week on a national basis, but most continue in Oslo, for at least another two weeks.

***Health Minister Bent Høie warned again on Wednesday against easing Corona
containment measures too quickly. Even though public health o�cials released
statistics showing signi�cant declines in infection levels (see above), Høie thinks
Corona infection remains high and could quickly rise again. Norway’s public health
institute reported that around 65 percent of actual Covid-19 infection is now being
picked up, suggesting that as much as 35 percent still goes undetected. They have
also registered 33 cases of the new English strain of the virus and one case of the
South African, both of which are highly contagious. FHI thus characterized the current
infection situation as “unstable,” even though the infection curve is �attening out.

***Some international media outlets have been too eager in connecting 13 deaths
among elderly vaccinated Norwegians to a Covid-19 vaccine. Health- and
pharmaceutical o�cials were stressing this week that dozens in high age brackets
die every day and that it’s far too early to conclude that the vaccine was
responsible. Norway’s national pharmaceutical association (Legemiddelverket) told
Norwegian news bureau NTB on Tuesday that it had been contacted by media
organizations from CNN to Fox News and Bloomberg, after it had reported how it was
examining  deaths of recently vaccinated elderly Norwegians. The �rst examinations
of 13 show that the vaccine played no role. Another 10 recently vaccinated elderly
had died by Tuesday, but Dr Camilla Stoltenberg of the public health institute claims
that’s “natural” in a country where 300 to 400 nursing home residents die every week.

Most receiving the vaccine in Norway so far, Stoltenberg noted at a regular
government press conference on Monday, already have pre-existing health problems
and are weak. The vaccine may prompt a fever or other health issues, leading to
some re-evaluations of who should receive it, but the 13 elderly haven’t died because
of it. “We don’t believe the reports of deaths we’ve received in Norway form any basis
for warning against taking the vaccine in general,” Pernille Harg of Legemiddelverket
told Faktisk.no, a fact-checking Norwegian news service.

***Norway has begun its second round of vaccinations for those who already have
received their �rst shot. Now, however, the state public health institute is unsure
whether two shots of the vaccine will be enough. State broadcaster NRK reported
Sunday night that so-called “booster” shots may be necessary. That means people
like Svein Andersen, who’s among the few to have had both Corona shots so far, may
need a third before the end of the year.

Around 40,000 Norwegians are now awaiting their second dose of the vaccine (and
millions their �rst) amidst new doubts over whether that will fully protect them from
Covid-19. Geir Bukholm, head of infectious disease at FHI, said health care o�cials
and vaccine producers themselves “are prepared” to launch a booster program if
necessary: “We believe people will be immune for at least a while, and it’s important
that people be vaccinated, especially if they’re at risk of becoming critically ill from
the virus,” Bukholm told NRK, “but there’s still a lot that’s unknown around all this and
we won’t have answers until after folks have been vaccinated.”

***Police continue to prosecute violations of Corona containment measures, also in

Norway’s more rural areas. Innlandet County’s police, for example, have registered 45
complaints and either �ned, charged or indicted the alleged offenders. One case
involved a man who spit on another and claimed he was infected with Covid-19. In
another case, a business owner in Hadeland was accused of putting foreign workers
to work without following state quarantine regulations. Those found guilty have been
�ned NOK 20,000 (USD 2,350).

***Pharmaceutical company P�zer is reducing the numbers of deliveries of its

Corona virus vaccine to Norway and Europe from January 18. They cite production
capacity reasons, but claimed they’ll be back up and beyond current levels by the end
of February. Joachim Henriksen of P�zer Norge told state broadcaster NRK on Friday
that deliveries will continue but be reduced equally over all of Europe for the next few
weeks. The reduction can amount to as many as 7,800 doses a week, according to
Norwegian health o�cials, just when Norwegian cities are launching their mass
vaccination programs (see below). It means Norway can received nearly 40,000 fewer
doses than state public health institute FHI had expected. By March, however,
Henriksen said P�zer aims to offset the reduction in March, when it expects to be

able to deliver more vaccine than estimated.

***Several hundred people were turned away at border crossings last week, reports
the state police in charge of enforcing the Norwegian government’s strict new border
control measures. A total of 472 non-residents were denied entry into Norway, up by
107 from the week before. Police report more tra�c at border crossings after many
smaller one were physically closed earlier this month. Police are also conducting
more controls in an effort to ease the threat of imported Corona infection.

***Oslo began mass vaccinations on Thursday (Jan 14), with 85-year-old Arne Svein
Jul Bekken among those getting the �rst of two shots with the Covid-19 vaccine at
his local vaccination center in the Ulven district. The city hopes to be vaccinating
110,000 people a week by February. Everyone living in Oslo nursing homes and
special housing for the elderly has now been vaccinated. Residents of the Norwegian
capital are now due to be called in by age group, with the oldest �rst, along with
health care workers considered to be working in critical positions.

The southern city of Sarpsborg was �rst to start mass vaccinations this week (see
below). Now it’s mostly a matter of how many vaccine doses local municipalities can
get that will determine how quickly the programs will proceed. Oslo, meanwhile, is
also getting Norway’s �rst dosages of the Moderna vaccine, in addition to
P�zer/Biontech’s. Health care workers were glad a second vaccine is now available.

***Norway’s graduating high school students known as russ (“roose”) probably won’t
be able to gather for huge national parties this spring either. Even though Corona
vaccination programs are underway, the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus will likely
remain too high for thousands of partying russ to gather, for example, at the
traditional Landstreff at Kongeparken in Rogaland. Around 14,500 tickets have
already been sold for the event, scheduled for May 7-9, but o�cials at the public
health institute FHI cautioned this week it may be cancelled. “I don’t think it’s
probable that we’ll be able to allow so many people to gather in May,” said Line Vold
of FHI at a government press conference Wednesday.

***Everyone arriving in Norway will now face immediate and obligatory testing for
the Corona virus, after the government has gone along with calls to revoke a 24-hour
grace period. Justice Minister Monica Mæland of the Conservative Party cited higher
government concern over import of new strains of Covid-19, instead of political
pressure. The Progress Party has advocated immediate testing on arrival since last
summer and testing was �nally made obligatory. Foreign travelers and Norwegians
alike, however, have most recently been allowed to avoid long lines for testing at the
airport, as long as they submit to Corona testing in the city where they’ll be staying
within 24 hours.

It’s proven di�cult for the government to enforce the 24-hour rule, however, and too
many new arrivals have ignored the testing requirement. News bureau NTB reported
this week that only 40 percent of those arriving at Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen
were tested immediately in the days right after the New Year’s holiday. Testing has
since risen to around 60 percent, while it has been as high as 96 percent at the Torp
Airport in Sandefjord and 98 percent at the airport in Trondheim.

“We see that many people are reacting to how people are traveling in to Norway
without being tested,” Mæland said at the government’s press conference Wednesday
afternoon. “We also see that the risk for imported infection is rising, so we’re
imposing new measures to limit that. We are working to increase testing capacity and
the 24-hour rule will be removed.”

***Sarpsborg is the �rst city in Norway to launch a mass vaccination program, after
struggling with among the highest infection rates in the country. Local health o�cials
have set up a vaccination center at a hotel that can vaccinate 2.5 percent of the city’s
56,000 residents every day. “We can vaccinate between 1,000 and 1,500 people every
single day if we get enough vaccine,” Sarpsborg’s health director Øivind Werner
Johansen told state broadcaster NRK. “We have a lot of capacity.”

Sarpsborg had initially escaped extensive Corona virus infection, but then came a
rash of outbreaks last fall. They left the southern city near the Swedish border with
2.1 percent of the local population infected, a high level for Norway. Around 600 were
vaccinated on the �rst day at the Quality Hotel in Sarpsborg, which is thus also
getting some welcome if different business during the Corona crisis. As more
vaccine arrives in Norway, Johansen hopes to get 10,000 doses next week “because
we can vaccinate that many in a responsible manner.”

***Norway’s infection numbers hit new highs during the weekend and not least on
Monday morning (Jan 11). State Health Director Bjørn Guldvog claimed Sunday
evening that the country is now “in a very demanding situation where we don’t have a
full overview over the consequences of the Christmas and New Year
holidays.” Guldvog reacted after seeing the new numbers that also included a sudden
sharp rise in hospitalizations and in the number of people so sick that they need to be
put on respirators. Infection is highest among those aged 20 to 29, many of whom
traveled during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

At the same time, however, many more people than ever before are being tested. It’s
thus natural, Guldvog noted, that many more positive results are coming in. “We can
see quite strong growth in the weeks to come,” Guldvog said, ” but we have imposed
strong measures, so we hope we’ll be able to limit infection again during the next
several days.” A total of 20,833 people had been vaccinated as of Monday afternoon,

far fewer than hoped but a number expected to rise as more vaccine arrives in
Norway.

***Among the recent outbreaks of Covid-19 in Norway is a group of employees at

the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen. A patient who’d been admitted was
infected without realizing it, and 13 people working in the hospital wound up infected
as well. Newspaper Bergens Tidende reported that everyone who’d had close contact
with the patient had been tested, not least after several employees began developing
symptoms. The hospital has managed to maintain normal operations, also while
those infected have been in isolation.

***There’s also been another outbreak of Covid-19 at the hospital in Drammen that
already has spread to the hospital in nearby Bærum, just outside Oslo, and into local
home health care services. As of Monday afternoon, 12 patients and 22 employees
were infected at Drammen Sykehus, which was set to begin mass testing of all
employees. Fully 85 were in quarantine along with nine employees of the orthopedic
ward at Bærum Sykehus, where a patient from Drammen was sent before the
outbreak was discoverered. Another 60 patients had been treated at the Drammen
hospital’s orthopedic ward and all have been contacted.

***Foreign workers returning to Norway after Christmas and New Year holidays back
home have been found to be carrying false documents claiming they’d tested
negative for the Corona virus. “Many have tried to enter Norway illegally with false
documentation,” Torill Sorte of the police told news bureau NTB. Fully 54 people were
sent back to where they came from after landing at the Torp Airport in Sandefjord,
either because of invalid test certi�cation, a failure to take a Corona test before
departure or failure to certify quarantine arrangements for the next 10 days. All test
documentation, moreover, must be presented “in a language border patrol police can
understand,” according to NTB.

***Norway is on the verge of securing 2 million doses of another new Corona

vaccine, after the EU reported Friday that it’s likely to be approved by the end of the
month. The Corona virus vaccine from AstraZeneca could arrive by the end of
March. Vaccinations have been underway since Norway received the P�zer vaccine
just after Christmas. Norway is being assisted by Sweden in acquiring vaccines
through the EU’s agreements with producers, since Sweden is a member of the EU
and Norway is not. Swedish vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström told state
broadcaster NRK on Friday that nearly a million doses of the new AstraZeneca
vaccine can arrive in February and another million in March. In addition come another
300,000 doses from P�zer and “a small contribution of around 40,000 doses” from a
third producer, Moderna.


With a total of 3.6 million doses now secured because of EU agreements with P�zer,
the pace of Norway’s vaccination program can pick up considerably. The elderly are
�rst in line along with others at risk, followed by health care workers and age groups
from those over 60 and downwards.

***The doctor who’s been Norway’s most trusted face on TV during the Corona crisis
is now worried about how local governments will be able to handle massive
vaccination programs and major new outbreaks of the virus at the same time. Dr
Espen Nakstad of the state health directorate warned of “a di�cult period” between
now and the Easter holidays in early April after Norway woke up to a new infection
record on Wednesday (Jan 6), when a total of 930 new cases of Covid-19 were
registered. That’s the highest in a 24-hour period since the Corona crisis began, and
Nakstad worries about looming hospital capacity if patients become seriously ill. “If
we don’t get control of this now, and also have to deal with new virus strains that are
more contagious, we can actually land in a situation that’s more di�cult than in
March,” Nakstad told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. Hospitalizations peaked at
325 last April, compared to 127 now, “but it won’t take much before we’re back where
we were in March, or worse. We’ve seen that happen in other countries.”

State and local o�cials have already responded with new social shutdowns
nationwide, with Norwegians urged to stay home and warned not to invite anyone for
dinner or other social contact until Jan 18 at the earliest. Most restaurants and bars
remain closed, after local bans on serving alcoholic beverages were expanded
nationwide. Now there’s talk of actual curfews, with people only allowed to go out to
the grocery store or for a short walk, but Justice Minister Monica Mæland said the
government would resist imposing such “invasive” measures.

***Mandatory Corona testing has forced closure of 58 border crossings in Norway.

Testing can only be offered at major border crossings, meaning that those with less
tra�c including the old Svinesund Bridge crossing at Halden are now barricaded, with
travelers told to enter the country via the larger border crossing on the E6 highway to
the west. Only the Magnormoen and Trysil border crossings are equipped with testing
facilities in Eastern Norway, with cars funneled through tents where testing takes
place. After delays of up to three hours at the Svinesund center, local o�cials have
opted to send some travelers to other regional test centers.

***More than a dozen American soldiers have tested positive for Covid-19 after
arriving in Norway for military exercises at Setermoen in Troms og Finnmark. They’ve
been placed in isolation at the Setermoen camp near Harstad. A total of 3,000 NATO
soldiers are due to arrive in Norway for this year’s Joint Viking 2021 winter exercises
and all must be tested. A total of 15 from the US Marine Corps have tested positive
so far, according to the Norwegian Army. None of them had any symptoms but will

remain in isolation for at least 10 days. Around 1,600 soldiers were arriving this week
alone, from the US, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany. Positive tests were
also expected within the British troops, reports state broadcaster NRK.

***A major hotel at a popular skiing destination in Norway has had to suddenly shut
down, after six employees tested positive to the Corona virus. So have several recent
guests. Everyone who has stayed at the Radisson Blu Resort Trysil since December
26 was being sent messages from the hotel this week about the sudden outbreak.
The chief medical o�cer in the town of Trysil, Dr Hanna Rydlov, told Norwegian
Broadcasting (NRK) that they should all cease social contact, be aware of any
symptoms of Covid-19 and get tested. Rydlov said she’d received word that at least
�ve guests at the hotel during the Christmas and New Year holidays had tested
positive after their stay. The hotel has more than 200 rooms and a central location in
the popular winter destination, best known for both its alpine and cross-country
skiing.

A total of six employees of the hotel and a �rm that offers services to the hotel had
also tested positive, as have two of their close contacts. That forced the sudden
closure of the hotel on Monday (Jan 4). It will stay closed at least until January 11.
Guests could either go home or move to the Radisson Blu Mountain Resort Trysil, on
the other side of Mount Trysil. “We’ve had good infection prevention routines, have
implemented them and carried out exercises about them,” stated hotel director Maria
Åhgren in a press release. “No matter how well-prepared we are, we’re never secured
against an outbreak during this pandemic.”

***Prime Minister Erna Solberg has called for a halt to almost all social contact, to
limit a recent increase in the spread of the Corona virus, but a new report from the
state public health institute FHI shows that things could be much worse. Norway is
still weathering the Corona storm better than most countries, even though the crisis
is far from over.

Around 2,000 people had already been vaccinated in Norway as of Sunday, a week
after the vaccination program began, mostly in nursing homes. FHI is also relieved
that Norway has done well at protecting its elderly, with infection levels still relatively
low: 83 of the 3,108 new cases of infection in the last week of 2020 were aged 80 or
higher. Age groups with the highest levels of infection were 13-19, 20-39 and
40-59. That has also resulted in fewer new Corona patients in Norwegian hospitals. A
total of 62 new patients were admitted last week, compared to 89 the week before. In
the capital, Oslo, the number of new hospital admissions has declined for several
weeks.

Norway also has registered far fewer deaths than most coutries (a total of 436 since

the crisis began in March) and 18 last week, compared to much higher levels in
November. Large areas of the country also still have no or very low infection.

***Flights from the UK were due to resume from Saturday (Jan 2) at 5pm, after the
Norwegian government ended a ban tied to discovery of new strains of the Corona
virus in Great Britain. Everyone arriving from London and other UK airports, however,
is still subject to strict quarantine and testing rules upon arrival. Flights were banned
after �rst one and then another highly contagious mutation of Covid-19 were
discovered in Britain in December. “We’re still worried about imported infection,” an
o�cial in the health ministry told state broadcaster NRK. He noted, however, that the
UK �ight ban could be lifted “when we have established necessary control measures
and adequate testing capacity at the airports.” EU o�cials have also encouraged an
end to the bans on UK �ights.

Everyone arriving from the UK must �ll out a travel registration form aimed at
controlling their movements after landing in Norway. They will also receive
information on quarantine rules (10 days in a certi�ed hotel) and must �ll out forms
as to where the quarantine will be carried out so that local municipalities can follow
arrivals’ movements. All passengers landing in Norway from abroad must also
undergo mandatory testing for Covid-19 within 24 hours of arrival. The test comes in
addition to demands for certi�cation of a negative test within 72 hours of arrival.

***The Norwegian government has imposed mandatory testing for the Corona virus
upon arrival from abroad. It also plans to close several border crossings. From
January 2, everyone arriving in Norway from so-called “red” countries with high
infection levels must submit to a Corona test, preferably at an airport- or border test
station. If no such testing station is available, testing must take place elsewhere
within 24 hours of arrival. Exceptions will be made for children under age 12 and
people with “critical social functions,” including those commuting over the border to
work in Norway, diplomats and long-range truck drivers. The goal is to prevent
imported infection, not least from those returning to work in Norway after holidays
abroad. Norway also plans to physically close several of its 110 border stations in
order to better control the need for testing. Speci�c locations had not yet been
decided.

(For earlier Corona news in brief stretching back to March 2020, when the crisis
began, click here.)