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Mayor Hans Isak Olsen sits in the Kautokeino town hall. There is no contagion in the municipality, but he is excited for Christmas.
– There are 300 km to the nearest hospital in Hammerfest, and we don’t have our own infection ambulance, he says.
In other words, a large corona eruption as a result of visiting Christmas guests can have major consequences.
– People can come here and celebrate Christmas, but I encourage travelers to stay home if they feel sick, says Olsen.
Ask people to get tested before traveling to their municipality.
– We do not have all the resources in the world in the health service. Having a major outbreak will put such a burden on the health system that I don’t dare to think about the consequences.
CONCERNED: Mayor Hans Isak Olsen in Kautokeino Township fears disaster should an outbreak occur. Photo: Johan Mathias Gaup
– What could be the consequence?
– It can be described in one word: Disaster, responds Olsen.
Here everyone can get tested
He says they would like to test all visitors at Christmas, but they don’t have the capacity to do so. In Kautokeino, they should prioritize testing those with symptoms, says the mayor.
TV 2 sent a survey to all the municipalities of the country. 223, most of the mayors, have responded to us.
91 percent claim to have the capacity to test visitors at Christmas, but only six percent say that it may be relevant to test everyone who arrives in their municipality at Christmas.
Municipalities that say it may be relevant to test all visitors at Christmas
- Herøy (Nordland)
- Ibestad
- Balsfjord
- Like now
- Juice
- Gratangen
- Stjørdal
- Volda
- Kragerø
- Ulstein
- Narvik
- Vardø
- Harstad
- Tana
Will test students
In Herøy municipality in Nordland, Mayor Elbjørg Larsen says they want everyone who comes from the red zones to get tested.
– We especially want all students to be tested anyway, because they often come from an environment where there have been a lot of infections, he says.
If people use public transportation to get home, he recommends waiting to be tested until reaching the municipality. If, on the other hand, they drive a car, she says it’s okay to get tested even before you go home.
– We recommend quarantine until a test result is available. Otherwise, the usual precautionary rules apply, he says.
Almost half of the municipalities that TV 2 has been in contact with ask visitors to enter self-imposed quarantine before traveling home for Christmas. Among them is Hans Gunnar Holand in Sømna Municipality.
It emphasizes that all people, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not, are offered a test.
– Do you have the ability to test all visitors?
– Yes, based on experience, we do.
Nakstad on the biggest challenge
Deputy Health Director Espen Rostrup Nakstad at the Norwegian Health Directorate notes that testing and tracking infections is the biggest challenge for Norwegian municipalities this Christmas.
– This is demanding for all municipalities, not least at Christmas, and we recognize these concerns that many of the municipalities have, he tells TV 2.
BELIEVE IN MUNICIPALITIES: Espen Nakstad believes that Norwegian municipalities have coped well with the pandemic. Photo: Frode Sunde / TV 2
He asks the municipalities to be vigilant in the future and to be well prepared:
– We must also have this until Christmas, and not least take good care of those who live in nursing homes, those who have additional needs for help from the municipality, because they have additional needs to do at Christmas, says Nakstad.
The fact that most municipalities do not consider it relevant to test all visitors is in line with national guidelines which state that people with symptoms, close contacts and people coming from abroad should be tested.
