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The pandemic and the disruption of cross-border trade between Norway and Sweden have driven Strömstad in northern Bohuslän into a deep crisis.
The restrictions have led to far fewer Norwegians making the trip to the neighboring country. In one year, unemployment in the municipality of Strömstad increased by 75 percent.
Mayor Kent Hansson believes the recession is just the beginning.
– These are between 1500 and 2000 people who have been notified of layoffs or have been laid off. There are more than 20 percent of the healthy population in the township, Hansson says.
Many companies now feel compelled to report layoffs, he says.
In March, Norway closed its border with Sweden. Now you can cross, but since Sweden is considered a red country, you must be quarantined for ten days if you cross the border into Norway.
Commuters across the border come out of quarantine but must undergo a corona test every week.
Warns about “social polarization”
CONCERNED: Strömstad Mayor Kent Hansson says the crown pandemic has also led to the rise of what he calls “nasty nationalism.”
Photo: Erik Rönnqvist / NRK
For NRK, Strömstad’s mayor says the problem is not just unemployment. The mayor believes that the coronavirus has also caused a “social polarization” among the brother people.
– Many work travelers between our countries and have families on both sides, who are divided. There are examples of families that have not been reunited for more than six months, says Kent Hansson.
According to the mayor, the exchange between Norway and Sweden has intensified. Talk about Swedes getting nasty comments when they travel to work in Norway.
He says they are told they are not welcome, even though they come from low infection regions:
– Swedes in Norway are considered to be infected with the plague, says Hansson.
– You see it in the comments field on social networks. Not good. A nationalism that feels uncomfortable is born, says Hansson.
According to the mayor, Norwegians who travel to Sweden also get away with it.
Hansson believes that the problem may have such significant long-term consequences that it should be on the government’s table in both Sweden and Norway.
– We are a sister nation and we have much in common. It’s sad and boring that we start talking bad about each other. I hope we can stop that.
Ask Norway for a special solution
– The economic crisis has hit Strömstad more than other municipalities, says Foreign Minister Anna Hallberg.
Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Hallberg does not believe that closing the border is an effective way to stop the infection.
Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB
The reason is that the city has a particularly large tourism industry.
Many companies used to place their meetings and encounters halfway between Gothenburg and Oslo. Now this industry is also on fire.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs participated in a digital meeting with representatives of the municipality and the business community.
– We have tried every conceivable measure. What we can do is keep working to reopen the borders, says Hallberg.
She says that the Swedish authorities hope that Norway can open up to a special solution, as is the case in Tornedalen, where Finland has opened the borders for those who live in the border municipalities.
– For that I have tried to work and work. But until now, Norway has chosen to view the border closure as an effective way to stop the infection. We don’t think it is, Hallberg says.
