Canceled the government liquor stop: – Admits Høie was right

– I think that decision is completely correct, even today, Ingvild Kjerkol, Labor Party health policy spokesperson, tells Dagbladet.

“The Storting asks the government to ensure that municipalities with low infection pressure can allow alcohol service in relation to food service,” was the opposition proposal earlier this week.

Sylvi Listhaug (Frp) also sees no reason to deviate from the proposal today.

– No, it was completely in place, because it is about taking into account local conditions. In many places in Norway, there is little or no infection. There is no reason why these municipalities should have such strict infection control measures as Oslo and other places where there is a lot of infection. We trust local authorities who have shown that they turn around quickly when necessary and tighten up measures, Listhaug tells Dagbladet.

Overthrew the government

A united opposition was behind the proposal, thus overtaking Health Minister Bent Høie and the government, who thought the situation was too uncertain and wanted to wait until next week to make a new assessment.

Ingvild Kjerkol believes, however, that Health Minister Bent Høie and the government resolved the Storting’s decision to lift the ban on completely bad drinking.

– We were very surprised that the Minister of Health lifted the entire national ban on alcoholic beverages. That was not what the Storting decided. The decision was to open up to be able to serve beer at a meal in municipalities with low infection pressure, says Kjerkol.

– But then didn’t it do what you wanted?

– He could ensure that those with low infection pressure could reopen as requested by the Storting. What the Health Minister achieved was that the municipalities with high infection pressure did not have a good enough opportunity to maintain the drinking bans, he says.

He took reason and opened Polet

Take self-criticism

Kjersti Toppe (Sp), first vice chairman of the health committee at the Storting, says the Center Party internally discussed whether they should support the proposal. He also believes that the wording was initially different from what Høie ultimately decided on.

– If we had known about it, and he had informed it before it was voted, we would not have voted for it. In many ways this is an unfortunate case, we see it later, when we see what has happened now, Toppe tells Dagbladet.

She continues:

– It is an experience that we assume. This is a serious situation for the country and it will take some time to intervene and liberalize infection control measures. Then we must know the consequences of what is introduced. I’d say the way it happened was regrettable. It can be difficult to defend, but sometimes the government knows more than we do, especially that everything is connected. It’s the sum of the restrictive measures that together can prevent the infection from spreading as much as it would have otherwise, Toppe says.

– Incorrect

Bent Høie told Dagbladet on Sunday that he believes he did what the opposition asked.

– The Storting called for the national ban on alcoholic beverages to be lifted, without setting a time limit. But precisely because I was concerned that municipalities with high infection pressure would not have the opportunity to introduce a local liquor stop, I gave them two days with the opportunity to do so. So this is not correct, Høie tells Dagbladet.

He believes that the opposition is trying to divert attention from reality.

– It is that the Storting lifted the national ban on alcoholic beverages and they think it is not so good today.

– Do you think they should regret it?

– It is not my job to describe what the Storting should do. My job is to implement what the Storting decides. I thought it was too early and I keep it, says Høie.

– Stay at home

These are the new government measures

– Høie was right

– What do you think about the fact that the British mutation detects a wild infection the same week that they tricked you with this proposal? Doesn’t this emphasize that the situation is uncertain, as Høie pointed out?

– The municipalities assume this responsibility. The infection is still low in many places. What the government is doing now, with local and regional measures as a result of the mutation being discovered in Nordre Follo, is the best to deal with this both socio-economically and to kill the virus, Kjerkol believes.

Respond to criticism

– It is also the case that FHI did not want to continue with the national prohibition of alcoholic beverages. He thought it was too intrusive.

Sps Toppe admits that Høie was right when he pointed out that the situation was uncertain.

– Yes, I think he was right. So I think we can all bring it in. I mean, we have to be mature enough and tell it like it is. We need to think carefully. At the same time, we are elected representatives, and it is understandable that there are demands to relax the rules where there is not as much infection, says Toppe.

– We have received some comments from Sp that it was unnecessary and we must trust the health authorities. We must be patient in the situation we find ourselves in.

Dagbladet has contacted SV to comment on the proposal they were behind, but they did not want to comment.