Open for up to ten guests twice at Christmas

A different Christmas is coming. The main rule is simple: limit the number of contacts before and during the holiday celebration.

Hey, hey, now it’s Christmas again, right?

How many can you gather on Christmas Eve? And the new year? And how should Christmas be celebrated to reduce the risk of infection?

The questions about what the Christmas celebration will be like this year have been many. On Wednesday, the time for clarification finally came when the government held a press conference in central Oslo.

These are the government’s recommendations for Christmas 2020:

• Limit the number of contacts both before Christmas and during Christmas celebrations.
• Avoid large accumulations and use the opening hours of stores.
• Stay at least one meter away from people you don’t live with, also at the Christmas party.
• The limit of having up to five guests continues until the new year, but on two of the days of the holidays, you can have up to ten guests. The prerequisite is that you can maintain a distance of one meter. Therefore, the number of guests must be adapted to the available space.
• If you come from areas with high infection, you should stay at least two meters from people in the risk group.
• Avoid unnecessary domestic and international travel. Domestic family trips may be necessary for many.
• It’s okay to go to the cabin, but be sure to follow current travel and distance advice.
• It is not Christmas to travel abroad or receive visits from abroad. People coming from red countries or areas must be quarantined for 10 days.
• Children and youth with divorced parents should have the opportunity to spend time with both parents at Christmas.

Local rules apply

The European Agency for the Control of Communicable Diseases (ECDC) has recommended maintaining strict measures for as long as possible, preferably until December 21. However, several countries have chosen to open something before the recommended deadline.

In Norway, many travel from the big cities and “home” for Christmas. So local rules apply: if you celebrate Christmas in Geilo, you must follow the rules for Christmas celebrations in Geilo.

In much of Norway, there was no new infection last week. In 204 municipalities, no cases were reported in week 48. And in 87 of the 152 municipalities that had infection, there were fewer than 5 cases. Thus, there were 65 municipalities that reported 5 or more cases in week 48. Christmas restrictions apply nationwide to many municipalities that are – and have been free of infection – for a long time.

The Oslo municipality currently has stricter rules for private meetings than the council presented by the government on Wednesday. In the capital, it is forbidden to gather more than ten people for private meetings.

According to the press officer in the city council leader’s office, the rules that will apply to the Christmas celebration in Oslo will be presented next week.

However, Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) is open for Santa’s visits.

– Is Santa in close contact?

– The starting point is that Santa Claus comes from the North Pole, which is white on the map. There we have not registered any case of infection. So we assume he’s allowed to come, Solberg said at Wednesday’s press conference.

At the same time, the one meter distance rule still applies, but the prime minister said there is a difference between what a teenager does and what a two-year-old can afford.

A fragile situation

Already last week, Solberg announced that there will be no place for big Christmas parties or New Years parties. But concrete advice on Christmas celebrations has been long overdue.

The government has wanted to analyze the development of the infection. Although the spread of the coronavirus in Norway is now slowing down, there are large geographical variations.

– We are concerned that the Christmas celebration will lead to more infections, said Solberg, emphasizing that he hopes that as many as possible have a nice Christmas with the current advice. At the same time, the goal is to avoid an increase in infection during the holidays.

FHI department director Line Vold also says the situation is fragile. The main conclusion of its latest risk report is that there is a continuing danger that the epidemic will spiral out of control for the next six months.

Beginning December 16, counties across the country will be assessed weekly by FHI. Five new levels will be used with different measurements, depending on the extent of the spread of the infection. A concrete assessment of the situation determines where the county ends up.

– There will be no automaticity when moving from one level to another, says Health Minister Bent Høie.

The Norwegian Directorate of Health and NIPH will implement and establish the new system, which will facilitate the coordination of local measures.

Opens up for more digital teaching

Education Minister Guri Melby (V) encourages outdoor activities for children and youth this Christmas.

Schools will also have the opportunity to use more digital teaching in the future, also at the yellow level. The prerequisite is that it is pedagogically justifiable.

Several have argued that it would be wise to finish school a little earlier to avoid the spread of infection and quarantine at Christmas. According to the minister, it is up to the municipalities to decide.

– Assessments and decisions must be made locally, because our country and our schools are so different, says Melby.