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Health director Bjørn Guldvog promised on Wednesday that the fall holidays are not in jeopardy, despite the further spread of the coronavirus in many cities in Norway.
– For those of you who have a trip to Norway planned, that’s fine, he said and emphasizes that a trip to the mountain or to the cabin can be done with a clear conscience.
Guldvog noted that the Easter ban on the huts was not justified for infection control reasons, but for health preparedness in the small hut municipalities, noting that the municipalities now have better systems for testing and monitoring. of infections.
– As it was okay to have a summer vacation in Norway, now it is okay to have an autumn vacation in Norway. But if you have symptoms, you should stay home, Health Minister Bent Høie said.
– Thousands of guests
Geir Strømmen, municipal chief physician in Ål and Hol, tells Dagbladet that they are clearly excited about the fall break.
– There are thousands of guests from Oslo, who are red, and from Bergen, who have a declining infection. There is significantly higher infection pressure between host areas than here in the mountainous region.
In Oslo, all districts are on a “red” level. There have also been outbreaks in Fredrikstad, Sarpsborg, and Bergen. The National Institute of Public Health report from week 38 indicates that there has been an increase in the number of infected in five counties: Innlandet, Agder, Møre og Romsdal, Rogaland and Oslo.
The municipal chief says that they are in full control and that there is no particular infection pressure in Hallingdal.
– We are concerned about what is happening, but we hope and hope that the guests will behave as they should and do the right thing in relation to infection control. I really take that for granted, he says.
The Oslo infection can be missed
Worried
The current admits that the high level of infection in Oslo raises some concern.
– This puts the local community here under more pressure, a greater opportunity for the infection to be exported from Oslo and up here. It is not possible with crown fatigue that people have lowered their “guard.” It must be up.
The current encourages people to do “the right things, keep your distance and infection control rules.” Furthermore, Strømmen says he hopes the business community will also follow and take care of him.
According to the municipal chief, there have been seven to eight cases of positive infection throughout the Hallingdal region in the last five to six weeks.
– It was clear and fine. We think we have very good control.
– Good
Anders Brabrand, medical director in four municipalities in Gudbrandsdalen, is not surprised that the authorities give the green light to cabin holidays.
– There are no national travel restrictions in Norway, and then I think it’s okay. Those who choose to travel to the hut from Oslo and other municipalities with high infection pressure have more responsibility than others, he says, referring to infection control rules.
He says visitors should know what to do if they get sick at the cabin and where to go to get tested.
– It is important not to think “I’m in the booth, I don’t bother to test myself”.
Brabrand says that as long as guests follow the rules and advice, it’s “perfectly fine” for them to come over the fall break.
– There are tones a little more conciliatory than before, he says and refers to the strict ban on cabins at Easter.
Syretest
For NRK, the municipal superior calls the fall break “a litmus test.” He explains to Dagbladet:
– I think now the fall season will start soon. We also had a summer with cabin people, but this summer there was little infection pressure. We did not test the preparation correctly. Now it is not long before the winter season. The autumn holidays will be a kind of test with departure from Oslo. It is up to us if this will work, she says.
The municipal chief is not worried about people from highly infected cities like Oslo spending the autumn holidays in Gudbrandsdalen.
– Keep in mind that it can cause outbreaks. I’m not very worried. We have good ability to test and track infections. The most important thing is to be careful, especially where you meet the locals, he says, referring to grocery stores as an example.
– I also think it can be positive that Oslo eases congestion a bit at the national level, he adds.
The spread of the infection in the municipalities for which it is responsible is very low.
– There have been some cases in Nord-Fron; two cases on Saturday and one on Friday. Then there has been a case in Øyer, Gausdal and Sør-Fron. There is little corona in the interior in general.
FHI: R number above 1
“Even most people”
Nord-Aurdal municipal chief Per EInar Jahr tells NRK that he is concerned about the spread of the infection during the fall holidays.
– It can be a challenge for us to get so many people from an area that is defined as red. It’s wrong to say I’m not worried, because I am.
The municipality is prepared for an increase in infection, but emphasizes that “it is up to the majority of the people what the result will be.”
– We are a different place now than we were in March. First, we know more about the disease and have had time to improve and develop the ability to test and track infections, says Maren Østvold, chief physician at Bykle and Valle.
She says they were infected early in Bykle Township, that is, an imported infection from ski tourists.
– We were able to test what it was like. Then she was silent for a long time. Then we had an outbreak about three weeks ago.
No one is isolated or quarantined as a result of the outbreak, which was quickly brought down and delimited, according to the municipal chief.
Fatigue from infection
Østvold says she’s not so concerned about the fall break in isolation.
– But it is clear that it is important for people to follow general infection control advice, keep their distance, have good hand hygiene and stay home if they are sick.
She believes city chief physicians in general are concerned about infection fatigue in the population, but for Bykle and Valle, it is not specifically related to the fall break, but to the flu season and fall in general, she says.
