Are you raking now?

The crisis arose at the breakfast table, which every Tuesday with us is characterized by this week’s Aftenposten junior. The ten-year-old applauded at the cover ad “This is what Halloween will be like this year.” It said in black and white that you could go for a nap or a party with a class or a group of friends. The source was from the National Institute of Public Health and my daughter smiled triumphantly. The director’s message to the contrary and the Oslo rules that a maximum of ten people can meet in private was forgotten. Nowhere in the newspaper were there any signs that the rules might be different.

On Tuesday, the most important newspaper for school children will come with an interview with Councilor Raymond Johansen on the Oslo rules, so Aftenposten junior corrects the print well in advance. But the lack is an expression of a bigger problem. When local and national restrictions are different, communication becomes more demanding. It cannot be avoided, but it is a challenge that both political and health authorities must take very seriously. The need for clear communication is more important than ever.

Your worst day yet

Many are bored now. That is understandable. Those of us who can, have been at headquarters since March. The Russian celebration, the May 17 train, the summer jobs and the fiftieth anniversary have been canceled. Many have lost their jobs or been laid off. Weddings take place only with the closest present and bourgeois confirmers can only bring one of the parents to the Town Hall on their big day. Fifth graders cannot have adopted children and first graders cannot follow their parents into the classroom. I miss marathons with tens of thousands of people, big parties and long trips. 2020 is the year when most of the fun is canceled. This spring, many believed that the state of emergency would be short-lived. Now most people understand that it will last a long time.

In such a situation, it’s no wonder irritation grows over rules that don’t always seem logical. That a class that sits together in one room all day cannot meet after school. That a large family where everyone meets regularly cannot meet at the table. That no one else can watch the game in Ullevål than in Njårdhallen. Or that open football was allowed to open two weeks after it was too late for the season.

So dry, so compelling

Norwegian government has handled communication during the pandemic admirably. The government, led by Erna Solberg and Bent Høie, through frequent press conferences with clear communication has been crucial to people’s respect for infection control rules. Director of Health Bjørn Guldvog and Espen Nakstad of the Norwegian Health Directorate and Director Camilla Stoltenberg and her staff at the National Institute of Public Health have demonstrated the best in research communication and professional openness. Since March, they have calmly explained daily what can and cannot be known about the professional reasons for infection control councils. At the local level, mayors and city council leaders, from Roger Valhammer in Bergen to Karl-Erling Nordlund in Sortland, have dealt with local restrictions and their own management in a clear way. Since municipalities have the most important responsibility in the Infection Control Law, local adaptations are crucial. For seven months, we have experienced that all these players have played in teams.

Brave liberator

Who would have thought before the pandemic that the Minister of Health would make the whole town cry, as Bent Høie did with his speech to young people in April. In August, Mayor Remi Solberg himself stopped by the airport to receive a load of infection control equipment at Vestvågøy. Councilor Raymond Johansen received violent cheers across political divisions when in September he faced threats from Bent Høie to topple Oslo.

The latter we should still see as little of the future as possible, from both sides. Trust is fragile. Before next year’s elections, dealing with the corona infection will be the main advantage of the ruling politicians. So it’s natural that the political effect is at the back of my mind, and that controversy can be tantalizing. But we find ourselves in a situation where everyone is doing the best they can, based on the information that is available at all times. More Covid-19 patients are hospitalized than before the summer, and we are in a crucial phase to reverse the trend. This can be a turning point.

There is a need for different infection control measures in different parts of the country. Keeping up with constant softening and adjusting is necessary for the entire population. At the same time, initiative fatigue is increasing and conspiracy theories are increasingly visible on social media. Therefore, the advice of the authorities should be as clear as possible.

The strongest card of the Armed Forces

Local authorities you should direct messages about your restrictions. Oslo is now sending out Halloween posters to schools and districts with councils, and the Vestfold County Governor and Telemark are asking its population to avoid public transport or wear a face mask for Oslo.

National authorities must adapt their message to local variations. When the government talks to people about easing the rules at the national level, they should always also say that this easing does not apply to everyone. 13 percent of Norway’s population lives in Oslo, 20 if Statistics Norway counts the settlement as a whole. Other municipalities also have stricter rules than the national ones. So you can’t talk as if national rules apply to everyone.

The challenge that communication demands is to be clear on different messages at the same time. It’s hard. But that’s the job now. If not, it will collapse.