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STRAIGHT AHEAD IN THE ROUND: Cars that have crossed the border into Norway at Svinesund have had to turn right at this roundabout to get to the test center. Many, on the other hand, have driven in a straight line and have therefore been able to drive directly to Oslo. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
Since the New Year, more than 43,000 vehicles have crossed the Svinesund border without the participants having been assessed. The government is now considering enforcement provisions.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the government will introduce the strictest entry rules from March 12 last year. The new rules mean that the borders as of Friday will be closed in practice for people who do not live in Norway.
Mayor Anne-Kari Holm (Sp) of Halden Municipality is responsible for the Svinesund border crossing. He is happy that the borders are now closing.
– This was a high moment, and I am very happy that the measure came, he tells VG.
– Being responsible for a test station and being a spectator of passing cars has been a burden for the municipality. We’ve seen how easy it has been to sneak out of testing, he says.
Traffic data from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and test statistics that VG has had access to from the Halden municipality confirm the mayor’s impression:
In the period from January 2 to 27, more than 55,000 vehicles crossed the national border over the Svinesund Bridge. At the same time, fewer than 11,500 people were tested at the border in the same period.
This means that less than 21 percent of those who crossed the border were tested when they reached Svinesund.
SIGNALS: So far in January, there have only been signs to the test station. On Wednesday, the police began manually routing traffic from the border to the test station. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
Can’t force you to try
The border closure initially lasts 14 days, but during Wednesday’s press conference, Erna Solberg said one should prepare for the restrictions to last longer.
The mayor of Halden believes that the government must implement a better system before the borders are reopened.
Clearances are required to be able to send passengers back or have them screened. Neither the Halden Township nor the police can order visitors to test how the system works now, Holm says..
CONCERNED: Halden Mayor Anne-Kari Holm (Sp) is concerned about the import infection. She believes the government should make sure that arriving people cannot cross the border without testing late when they reopen. Photo: Halden Township
Like the mayor, André Aronsen, emergency manager in the municipality of Halden, hopes that the government will establish a legal basis and clarify what rules apply.
– There will probably always be someone who does not want to be tested, and so currently we cannot force anyone to do it We also have no authority to expel anyone, he says.
Since Wednesday night, everyone who has crossed the border has been herded to the test station by the police. Aronsen believes that many travelers will be tested only if they make it to the test station.
– We are now working to find a solution where traffic is blocked there without the need for manual routing, he says.
– Among other things, we are studying the possibility of creating a road between the border station and the test station. For our part, we hope that the police will continue with manual routing until we have it in place.
STAFF: The testing station in Svinesund has been heavily staffed in recent weeks, after testing at the border became mandatory on January 18. This is how it looked at the test station on January 27 Photo: Gisle Oddstad
Police Inspector Eli Fryjordet, head of the Joint Unit for Foreigners and Administration in the Eastern Police District, confirms that the police will assist the municipality until they have a plan in place.
– Until the temporary plan is completed, the police will help unload traffic to the test center. It is important that the test schemes have an effect and therefore we consider it appropriate to contribute during a transition period, he writes in an email to VG.
The police inspector notes that the traffic route has been implemented in collaboration with the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the municipality and the state administrator.
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Assessment of coercive provisions
Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Lars Jacob Hiim (H), writes in an email to VG that the police and authorities at the border must find practical solutions that ensure that everyone has to go through the station test.
When asked why there is no legal basis that guarantees that those who are obliged to take the test must visit the test station in order to enter the country, he answers the following:
– The Infection Control Law grants little authority for the mandatory application of the measures; the law is largely based on voluntariness. Violations of the measures can be sanctioned with high fines.
TEST: The test station in Svinesund consists of six test lines, and the municipality of Halden has received help from the defense and the National Guard to expand capacity recently. With borders nearly closed in the coming weeks, there is reason to expect less pressure on the test station. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
– Authorities have practical ways of getting participants to the test queue, for example by regulating traffic. This will vary from test station to test station. Police, health authorities and municipalities find good practical solutions at the border, as they have now done in Svinesund, he further writes.
Can foreign citizens be denied entry if they do not want to take the exam?
– As Norwegian citizens, they can be fined if they do not undergo tests upon arrival. There is no expulsion rule on this basis alone. However, a number of other violations can lead to expulsion, writes Hiim.
It points out that most foreigners have a duty to present a negative test taken in the last 24 hours, and that they can be expelled if they don’t.
According to Hiim, the government will consider the need for clearer rules on the implementation of the duty of proof, and it does not rule out that they will consider stricter rules.
– We will consider whether it may be necessary to have enforcement provisions related to this. This is something that should then be considered in close cooperation with the police and health authorities, he writes.
