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Initially, the test stations along the Swedish border were to be closed after November 15.
On Thursday, Eidskog, which has Norway’s second-largest border crossing, received confirmation that the test station will continue indefinitely from the Norwegian Health Directorate.
The Norwegian Health Directorate says the decision was made on the basis of the infection situation in Norway and other parts of Europe.
– We believe that we have assumed a national responsibility in the working day by having the test station open 24 hours a day and we have seen that the need is very great, says the mayor of Eidskog, Kamilla Thue.
HAPPY: The Mayor of Eidskog, Kamilla Thue, is happy that the test stations along the Swedish border will continue.
Photograph: Knut-Øyvind Hagen / NRK
Requires mandatory testing
Infection rates are increasing in Norway. This morning, Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) informed the Storting about the new austerity measures that they will take to reduce the infection and prevent a new closure of the country.
After several cases of import infection, the leader of the Oslo city council, Raymond Johansen, has demanded that tests at the border be mandatory. He also supports the health policy spokesperson in the Storting Ingvild Kjerkol (Labor Party), writes VG.
Later today, the government will hold a press conference on the situation.
I did not understand that they were going to close
At Magnormoen in Eidskog is the next largest border crossing in the country. About 1000 tests have been run here a week since it opened on August 25.
Many of those examined are Swedish travelers. The municipality has established the station and everyone can test themselves for free.
There have been strong reactions to the closure of the Magnormoen test station in Eidskog on November 15.
– When it was going to close, we just didn’t understand it, says Thue.
She says it would be an additional burden both for the municipalities in the immediate area and for all companies that depend on Swedish labor.
The closure had cost companies dearly
If the station had been closed, companies would have to pay between 5,000 and 6,000 crowns per month for each employee.
– When we look at how the infection has developed, we think that it is more important than ever that we maintain the test station, says Thue.
Eidskog Municipality itself has many employees from Sweden, especially in the healthcare sector. However, they have had very few cases of infection from the pandemic.
Thue says that it is paramount for all of Norway that it be able to conduct tests quickly, efficiently and reasonably at the border.
She does not know how long the test stations will be kept along the border, but she is happy with the message she received Thursday.
The Norwegian Health Directorate says they will provide more information on how the test stations along the Swedish border will work in the future.
