Seven new corona-infected in Rana, linked to Level – NRK

– Stay home, have as little contact as possible.

This is the advice of Prime Minister Erna Solberg. On Thursday, the government introduced new restrictions to overcome the growing corona infection in Norway.

230 quarantined in Bodø

In Bodø, there have been six new infections in the last 24 hours. 26 people are isolated and 230 people in quarantine.

Precious Uwadie is the student council leader at Bodin High School. She says the outbreak has been a revelation.

– It’s a bit scary, but it’s an important reminder. Many students have begun to understand the seriousness. We understand that it can hit us and we have become more aware.

Uwadie believes that the information has been good and that it has made the situation less stressful than in March.

– We also have compassion for those affected.

School closes

The municipal chief doctor, Kai Brynjar Hagen, decided today to close Bodø Upper Secondary School for three days: Friday, Monday and Tuesday.

Bodø Upper Secondary School is closed for three days: Friday, Monday and Tuesday. It was clear during today’s press conference.

The reason is the increase in infection in youth settings, especially in relation to Bodø upper secondary school.

– We can’t account for everything. To get an overview of infection tracking and avoid losing control, we need to take this step, Hagen told a news conference at Bodø city hall today.

The other upper secondary school in Bodø does not close, but is put on red alert. This means that the distance requirements in classrooms are more stringent.

– At Bodin Upper Secondary School, there is only one infected registered. We think we have a good overview of the close contacts there. There will also be fewer students present.

The county council leader, Tomas Norvoll, also attended today’s press conference in Bodø municipality. It states that half of Bodin’s high school students will receive digital tuition at home.

Bodin teachers will inform students about who can attend school and who should be home.

At Bodø Upper Secondary School, all teaching will be digital from Friday.

– We don’t want to go back to March, when all the county’s high schools closed. Now we are taking a step back so that the infection control authorities are in control. At the same time, as far as possible, we will have as normal teaching as possible, says Norvoll.

– Intervention measures

The Mayor of Bodø, Ida Pinnerød, is aware that the measures being introduced are now intrusive.

– This is a powerful and intrusive measure. But we do this to prevent uncontrolled spread in Bodø. The goal is to return to a normal situation and normal daily life as soon as possible.

The Bodø municipality has a large number of samples for analysis at the Nordland Hospital. The response to these is expected Thursday night or Friday morning.

According to the mayor, bodøværinger must prepare for more cases of infection.

– We see that there is a fairly wide range of close contacts around those infected. Now it is a matter of implementing specific measures to prevent the infection from spreading further.

Infected after bar visit

Also in Rana, the situation is confusing.

During a press conference this afternoon, the municipal chief physician Frode Berg en Rana made a series of new recommendations.

• The municipality introduces a “red light” on the control of visitors in nursing homes. The same applies to infection control measures in schools and kindergartens.
• It is recommended to cancel the events next week.
• Nightclubs are recommended to close next weekend and next.
• Jobs recommends home office.
• People are advised not to go to the gym or pool this week or next.
• Residents of Rana should avoid traveling to other municipalities in Helgeland.

The municipality will later consider whether to introduce precautionary measures instead of recommendations.

Berg also strongly opposed reports of incitement against infected youth.

– Young people with a proven infection are exposed to agitation. That is unacceptable.

The infection was in a disco

In Rana, the municipality reports seven new infections in the last 24 hours. One of the newly infected was a guest at Level nightclub in Mo i Rana on Saturday October 31st and tested positive the following Tuesday.

The infection detection team in the municipality has worked to determine whether other guests who were in the nightclub that day may have been exposed to the infection.

The team believes they have a good overview and have contacted people who meet the criteria for close contact. These are in quarantine.

– Guests who have not been contacted by the infection detection team will not be quarantined, says the municipality in a press release.

– We still want to come out with this information because we will encourage these guests to book an appointment for a test if they have respiratory symptoms and stay home until the test results are available.

Closed until further notice

Only one of the employees is in quarantine, but the nightclub was scheduled to close next weekend anyway.

That shutdown may be delayed after the government introduced new infection control measures today.

– There is only one thing that is important and that is people’s health, says Level’s general manager Fredrik Jørgensen.

Starting Saturday, a liquor stop will be introduced at midnight and no liquor licensed restaurants will be allowed in new guests after 10pm.

It has already been decided that Rana ungdomsskole and Polarsirkelen videregående skole will be closed for the rest of the week.

This week, the Nordland County Municipality has also strengthened public transport.

The county’s director of transport and infrastructure, Odd Inge Bardal, encourages all passengers from Rana and Bodø to explore alternative transport possibilities.