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– Of course, this is something that is not acceptable, neither in terms of social responsibility nor of the obligations that are had in accordance with the Infection Control Law.
Here’s what Drammen City Chief Medical Officer John David Johannessen says before adding:
– It is important for us to make it clear that you are obliged to do so, there is no other option if you want to say it or not. This is your duty. If you don’t, you can be punished.
The municipal chief doctor says that infection tracers in the municipality experience that now there are some who do not want to “tell the whole story” when they are diagnosed with the infection.
– We see that there are a number of young people who are diagnosed with an infection and who may not have complied with all the infection control regulations during the holidays. Then it is more important that you tell him who you have met, that you do not mean that you have not followed the recommendations, says Johannessen.
He also asks parents to help young people make the correct assessments when it comes to respiratory infections.
– So are young people who hide information?
– Yes, says Johannessen.
Thought people sabotaged infection tracking work
The change in attitude towards traces of infection in Drammen comes almost two weeks after Hemsedal experienced the same thing.
Pål Rørby is Mayor of Hemsedal Municipality.
Photo: Asle Hella / NRK
Then winter break came and Mayor Pål Rørby introduced strict local rules on the crown because he thought people were sabotaging infection-tracking work.
– Several people have not cooperated by providing information on where they have been and who they have been with, Rørby told NRK at the time.
He spoke of people turning off the phone to make themselves inaccessible or refusing to give information to the infection tracking team.
– This makes our work considerably more difficult. And then the risk increases that those who need to be notified will not be notified, Rørby explained.
Increased pressure from infection
The infection tracking sabotage in Drammen comes just after winter break in the city is over and the pressure of infections in the city is mounting.
Drammen has reported 75 cases of infection in the past two days. That’s one more than the previous two weeks combined.
Drammen Hospital had the first crown patient in the country. The hospital has had several outbreaks during the pandemic.
Photo: Bjørn Olav Nordahl / NRK
The city was long “one of the reddest” in the country and had large outbreaks in both hospitals and nursing homes. For a long period, they also had stricter local crown rules than Oslo, but now all local measures have been repealed and the municipality follows national guidelines. At the same time, the city is close to the municipalities of Viken and Vestfold and Telemark which have high infection rates.
– There is no doubt that the pressure of infection has taken a leap in the municipality of Drammen, says Johannessen.
They can be more stringent measures
He fears that if city residents don’t take action now, strict local rules will have to be reintroduced.
– The information withheld contributes to the spread of the infection very quickly in society. And it contributes to the fact that we may have to have stricter measures than we would have otherwise needed, simply because there are some who don’t want to say what you have to say, says Johannessen.
– Thorough infection detection work is crucial to breaking the chains of infection and ensuring that the virus does not spread uncontrollably in society. Those who hide information about close contacts help make this job more difficult than necessary, explains the municipal chief.
