Government Tightens Rules for Foreign Workers – NRK Norway – Summary of news from different parts of the country

Norway has recently struggled with so-called foreign labor import infections. So far, foreign workers have been released from the ten-day quarantine to keep the wheels of the industry running.

Now, the exceptions that foreign workers have had been tightened and the so-called leisure quarantine has been removed, you may experience NRK. There will also be a requirement for a private room on a barracks platform and testing every 3 days.

This will have major consequences for the industry and several companies may have to close.

Health Minister Bent Høie met with LO and NHO today to learn about their experiences with infections that come from import workers.

The background to the meeting is that the whole of Europe is lit up in red and Poland is among the countries with a lot of infection. From here a lot of import workers come to Norway and also a lot of import infection.

– The main challenge is that the infection situation in Europe changes so drastically and thus puts pressure on the exemption regime. The government is considering tightening the scheme, we must discuss this with the employee and the employer. The government will present our findings at 4 o’clock, Høie told reporters after the meeting with LO and NHO.

In recent weeks, more than 200 people have brought the infection from abroad to Norway. Half of them traveled here from Poland and probably several of them work in Norwegian industrial companies.

Has quarantined

When Norway opened after closing in March, it was quite a challenge that the entry rules were so strict. Therefore, it has been important for the industry with some exceptions. So far, a foreign industrial worker has released the quarantine in ten days and can start work when he has a negative test. But they must be quarantined in their spare time, until a new test is performed a few days later.

The problem arises if it turns out that the first sample was taken too early in the process and the worker was actually infected with corona. Then the infection can spread in the workplace between the first and second tests.

That was probably what happened in the courtyard of Havyard Hyllestad, where more than 80 people were infected. Kvaerner in Stord and in Verdal, Aker Solutions in Egersund and Elkem in Salten have also been infected as a result of import workers.

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