He must be quarantined because the taxi driver did not comply with the quarantine rules – NRK Trøndelag – Local News, TV and Radio

It was Friday night that “Ulf” praised a taxi in downtown Trondheim. He was going home from work, but he didn’t take the bus. Therefore, he was happy when a taxi passed.

– It was a short walk from the center and the house. I was very conscious throughout the trip that I had to be careful. I didn’t touch anything inside the taxi, for example, it says “Ulf”. He also made sure the driver wore a mask.

The joy of getting a taxi quickly was short-lived. The consequences were, instead, quarantine, coronary tests and, in the worst of the consequences, that he is infected with covid-19.

“Ulf” has yet to prove himself, but has booked an appointment. He’s in line to make an appointment at the Trondheim test station. The city is now experiencing a new big wave of infected and great pressure on testing.

The driver receives support from the employer

Christiania Taxi CEO Hasnat Ahmad tells NRK that the taxi driver in question finds the situation very difficult.

– You have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and you are very sorry to have exposed your customers to the infection, Ahmad writes in an email to NRK.

– In general, I can mention that Christiania Taxi is very concerned about infection control. We continually contribute to various issues related to infection tracking in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and others, Hasnat Ahmad writes in the email.

Occupied by traces of infection

It’s the whole course of events that “Ulf” is most upset about. Among other things, the fact that the taxi driver was only quarantined when he received a positive response to the corona test.

– The whole situation is frustrating, says “Ulf”, who now has to be home from work. He misses both the exciting work-related projects and the planned activities in his spare time.

The infected taxi driver has led to troubled days by traces of infection in the neighboring municipalities of Trondheim, Malvik and Stjørdal. They have managed to locate most of the passengers of the 24 trips to the driver in question, but not all.

– We do not yet know if the taxi driver deliberately chose to continue driving while he should have been in quarantine, or if it was an unfortunate misunderstanding, says Malvik municipal doctor Realf Ording Helgesen.

Trøndelag County Doctor Reacts

– This is a very unfortunate case, which emphasizes that people must be faithful to the infection control rules that apply, says Trøndelag County Doctor Jan Vaage.

He hopes that the media attention around this specific case will sharpen the taxi industry. Hopefully, the unfortunate incident will lead to a greater focus on safety. Which in turn will make it safe to take a taxi in Trondheim.

– However, both the passenger and the taxi driver must wear a face mask, emphasizes the county doctor.