Dumping and opening shopping malls in Bærum, despite doubling corona infection – NRK Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio

– It has been a difficult week for us, says the municipal director Bente Herdlevær in Bærum.

The municipality has 36 new corona infections in the past 24 hours, nearly double the number on Wednesday.

The presidency in Bærum decided on Thursday afternoon to introduce new crown rules. Among other things, they mean that only the residents of the municipality can go to the gym or eat and drink alcohol outdoors.

At the same time, all indoor leisure activities for adults are closed. The new measures take effect from midnight.

The proposed rules do not mean that shopping malls and those serving alcoholic beverages will close.

– Larger shopping centers have a stricter limit on the number and reinforced measures. There is a risk that people from other municipalities will come to buy. But we believe that with the infection numbers we have now and the strengthened measures, we can tolerate it, Herdlevær says.

Pouring only for bearings

The municipality’s management recommends stiffening the municipality’s gyms and bars, but not closing.

Group classes in gyms are canceled, but centers can remain open. Most of the pubs in the municipality want the same thing.

They are also allowed to serve alcohol. Bærum thus defies the recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH).

But only the people of Bærum can exercise or eat and drink in the municipality.

– Guests must provide their name, telephone number and address or municipality of residence, which must be Bærum. We think this is preferable to shutting down completely, Herdlevær says.

He says the city attorney has concluded that they are allowed to ask for an address.

– How are you going to prevent guests from other municipalities from saying they are from Bærum or giving an address in Bærum?

– We can never guarantee that it won’t happen, but we trust people. We think the residents of Bærum appreciate that we try to keep society moving and the wheels moving, says Herdlevær.

Can squeeze later

Bærum politicians discussed the new rules today at 2pm. At the same time, it became clear that the municipal chief Frantz Leonard Nilsen before the meeting was not sure whether the measures were strict enough.

– Previously I had felt too strict, this time I worry more if I have been too gentle, said Nilsen during the meeting. But he stressed that he still thought it wise not to shut down completely.

More than half of those infected in Bærum have the mutated virus. The infection has also increased considerably in the last 24 hours. If the infection continues to escalate so rapidly, they should be strained again, Herdlevær cautions.

– We will constantly assess the need for action. This is a serious situation. NIPH has been very clear in its recommendations. They have also pointed out what we should consider if we experience the same increase over time, he says.

Trosser FHI

FHI has recommended stopping drinking. However, the Bærum politicians would not introduce this now. The municipal chief doctor, Nilsen, made it clear that they do not fully agree with FHI on what should be done:

– FHI believes that we are in a very critical situation. They are close to saying that we should do the same as Oslo, but they say they can support us in a short-term attempt at somewhat less intrusive measures, he says.

Mayor Lisbeth Hammer Krog raised concerns at the meeting.

– Now it is important that we reduce mobility across municipal boundaries. We must also reduce internal movements in the municipality of Bærum. We need to lower the number r. Due to the mutated virus, we have to follow the virus day by day, he says.