These are the new measures

At 6pm, the Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie, the Director of Health Bjørn Guldvog and the Director of the Department of the National Institute of Public Health, Line Vold, will introduce new restrictions for Easter. Stricter and similar rules have been announced in advance for the entire country.

Høie begins by describing the infection situation as more unstable, before presenting the new austerity measures. The new measures do not replace the local ones, but apply to the entire country from midnight until March 25.

See a full description of the rules and recommendations at the bottom of the case!

Visits limit

– One meter now becomes two meters, says Høie and refers to the distance recommendations.

The government also asks people to limit the number of visitors to a maximum of two guests.

– Having few contacts and the same contacts over time, says Høie.

Therefore, FHI turned around

Bar stops across the country

If you live in an area with a high level of infection, you should not visit or receive visitors. All trips that are not absolutely necessary should be postponed.

Several places have had a limited ration or ban on serving for a long time. Since February 23, the national regulation has been a bar stop at 10 pm There will now be a bar stop across the country.

People coming from what is considered unnecessary overseas travel must now spend the entire quarantine period in quarantine hotels. Previously, people in quarantined hotels had the opportunity to test themselves outside the quarantined hotel on the third day. It will no longer be possible for people to come from what is considered an unnecessary trip abroad.

Doesn’t have a good enough effect

It is recommended to use a mask in all places where it is not possible to maintain a distance of two meters. In addition, people are advised to use only the shopping centers and department stores in the municipality in which they live.

In the case of sports, it is now getting even tougher. Indoor sports are prohibited except for professional athletes.

According to Guldvog, the measures that have been in force recently have taken effect. However, the effect has not been satisfactory enough.

– We had previously announced that we will probably present the long-term plan for the reopening of the country at the end of March. We can’t do that as the situation is now, but work on the plan is in full swing, Høie says.

The graph showing that it is urgent

These are the new national rules

• Spilling alcohol is prohibited throughout the country.
• Indoor sports and leisure activities for adults are prohibited, with the exception of the best professional athletes.
• The gyms are closed, but may be open to the inhabitants of the municipality, for rehabilitation, individual training and treatment.
• The pools will be closed, but may be open for children in swim training and people who need the pool for rehabilitation.
• Amusement parks, bingo halls, and similar entertainment facilities are closed.
• The employer must ensure that employees work from home in all workplaces that are practically possible.
• People who return to Norway after unnecessary trips abroad must spend the entire quarantine period in a quarantine hotel and cannot be tested on the third day like today.
• The government recommends that all planned events be canceled. If events cannot be postponed, these rules apply:
  – Inside, 20 people are allowed at events with assigned fixed seating.
  – Inside, 50 people are allowed in sporting events for those under 20 who belong to sports teams in the same municipality.
  – Outdoors only 50 people are allowed in the events.
  – Allowed with 50 people at funerals and funerals when permanently designated venues are used.

These are the recommendations for the Easter holidays

Usually

• Stay home if you are not healthy and get checked as soon as possible if you think you are infected with Covid-19.

To travel

• Traveling abroad is not recommended unless strictly necessary. Avoid unnecessary travel in Norway.
• The trip to a leisure property (owned / borrowed / rented) can still be done if you take extra care with infection control along the way and in the resort. Then travel with your relatives or close people, preferably do the shopping before departure and stay away from others.
• It is important to investigate what measures are applied in the municipality where you are staying, for example through the municipalities’ websites or helsenorge.no.
• If you travel to a municipality with less strict measures than your municipality of origin, as a general rule you should follow the recommendations that apply to your home.
• If you are in quarantine, or waiting for test results, you should not go on Easter holidays, not even to your own cabin.
• If you are in the cabin and you get sick, you should go home. If you are called and quarantined, you must go home.
• You can travel to hotels within the country, but stay away from other guests and limit your stay in common areas. If you come from an area with a high level of contagion and with strict local measures, you should not go to hotels or similar accommodation where many people gather.
• Going from cabin to cabin is not recommended as this carries a significantly higher risk of spreading the infection.
• If unguarded cabins are to be used, it should be possible to reserve in advance so that there are no more households / travel companions at the same time.
• If the cabins are difficult to access, and the need for medical care and the possibility of quarantine / testing can create challenges for local health authorities, it should be considered at the local level whether the closure of such cabins should be recommended.
• In the case of strictly necessary trips abroad (for example, children who are going to visit their parents in another country), it is very important to be careful on the trip and to comply with the quarantine regulations and the requirements for tests when returning.
• Tourism stakeholders should consider limiting access to common areas in order to reduce the risk of infection and facilitate compliance with infection control recommendations.

Socially

• You should avoid more than 10 social contacts a week.
• You should avoid visiting more than 5 people in your own home. If your municipality of origin recommends avoiding visits, you should follow this advice, whether you are at home, in a cabin or elsewhere.
• If you come from an area with a high level of contagion and strict local measures, night visits are not recommended during Easter. Children and young people under the age of 20 who live alone can receive overnight visits from 1-2 regular friends.
• Preferably choose outdoor activities. Avoid visiting places where many people are gathered and where it is not easy to keep your distance, such as restaurants, ski rooms, heating rooms, playgrounds, water parks and the like. You can visit the resorts, but avoid the crowds.

Worship services and other celebrations

• In services and other religious celebrations and philosophical gatherings at Easter, rules, guidelines and recommendations for events apply. You should not attend these types of meetings outside of your own municipality.