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On August 28, Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced that the spread of the infection meant it was too early to continue reopening the company. Since then, Norway has registered twice as many new cases of infection every week.
It was therefore a surprise to some that Solberg and the government decided to continue the reopening as early as September 30.
Internal note
As recently as September 8, the Norwegian Health Directorate believed that it was too early to relax infection control measures or grant exemptions from them. It shows an internal memorandum prepared by the Norwegian Health Directorate in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health for the Ministry of Health and Care Services.
“Due to the uncertainty associated with the infection status and the pressured ability to work to detect and stop outbreaks, the Norwegian Health Directorate will recommend that no further relief or exemption from infection control measures be granted by the moment, “says the memo. .
“A reassessment should only be done when the capacity for TISK work has been improved and we are more confident that there is no hidden infection that could lead to spreading beyond the areas where outbreak work is currently being done.”
Reopening
Health director Bjørn Guldvog tells Dagbladet that the situation changed from September 8-30. Guldvog explains that the municipalities’ testing capacity was crucial to this.
– It is true that the situation changed a little from September 8 to 30. In late September, county governors were able to assert that municipalities could now assess 5% of the municipality’s population per week if necessary. Therefore, the capacity of TISK was improved, says Guldvog to Dagbladet and continues:
– At the same time, we experienced that the municipalities of the country managed to stop the outbreaks that occurred, and that the incidence of infection outside the outbreaks, the general infection, seemed to remain at a stable low level. In this context, we recommend that you take some relief that involves a small additional risk of infection.
Prime Minister Solberg announced that the government has decided that it will end the national drinking ban, allow up to 600 participants divided into three cohorts in public events and that the gradual reopening of grassroots sports will begin. The change applies as of October 12.
Online
Guldvog claims that the government’s decision to continue the reopening is in line with advice from the Norwegian Health Directorate and the National Institute of Public Health.
– The spread of COVID-19 infection occurs in patches, often related to outbreaks located in one or a few municipalities. In the vast majority of municipalities, either there is no infection or the infection is very low. The further we get into the pandemic, the more important it becomes to ensure that measures are as accurate as possible and that the burden on people, businesses and society is as low as possible, says Guldvog, continuing:
– Therefore, it will also be appropriate to phase out measures that are no longer necessary in those parts of the country where infection is low, and at the same time ensure that measures that are sufficiently effective are maintained or implemented in municipalities where infection is infection is too high.
